Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Early Childhood Education
More than 150 Democrats Ask Trump to Invest in Public School Infrastructure
01.17.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 153 House Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the administration to invest in the critical infrastructure that affects every city and town in the nation - our public schools. Too many of the more than 50 million students and six million staff who learn and work in our public schools spend their days in facilities that fail to make the grade. "To address this crisis, the federal government should partner with states and te… Continue Reading
Scott Condemns Action to Seek Delay of Rule Addressing Inequities in Special Education
12.14.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education (Department) intends to seek a comment period for a delay of the Equity in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) rule, which addresses disproportionate identification, placement, and disciplinary treatment of students of color in special education. "I am deeply disappointed by the Department's efforts to propose a delay of the rule that addresses widespread disp… Continue Reading
Bonamici, Scott, 45 Democrats Fight to Protect K-12, Higher Education in Tax Reform
12.08.17 WASHINGTON - Today Education and the Workforce Vice Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and 45 Democrats stood up for public education and urged tax bill conferees to mitigate the harmful aspects of the current tax proposal and instead advance a tax plan that supports public schools and investments in higher education. "This partisan tax proposal will have irreversible and lasting consequences for the future of K-12 and higher e… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Closed-Door Meeting at Ed to Discuss Undermining Civil Rights Protections for Students
11.17.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a private meeting was held at the Department of Education discussing the "harmful effects" of school discipline guidance from teachers who experienced violence in the classroom. Enacted under the Obama administration, the guidance encourages schools, districts, and states to reassess their policies for and use of suspensions and expulsions that are disproportionately used on students of color and students with d… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Job Killing GOP Tax Proposal
11.09.17 "New analysis from the NEA estimates that if Republicans succeed in eliminating much of the state and local tax deduction, as proposed in H.R. 1, it would likely have a devastating effect on state and local public education budgets. According to the analysis, H.R. 1 puts nearly 250,000 education jobs at risk and could result in $250 billion in cuts to public education over the next 10 years. In Virginia alone, the GOP's proposed changes to SALT would mean a potential loss of 9,264 public educati… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Death of Bill Goodling, Former Chair of Ed & Workforce Committee
09.19.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the death of former Pennsylvania Congressman Bill Goodling, who served as chair of the Education and Workforce Committee from 1995-2001: "It is with sadness that I note the passing of former Congressman Bill Goodling, who I had the privilege of serving with on the Committee. He was a tireless advocate for education, particularly on issues of literacy and child nutrition. While we sat on different sides of the p… Continue Reading
As Secretary DeVos Invites States to Test Boundaries of Education Law, Scott, Murray Urge Her to Follow the Law
09.18.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos urging her to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as Congress intended, and only approve state plans that meet all of the law's provisions. In an interview yesterday, Secretary DeVos urged sta… Continue Reading
Scott, Polis, Murray, Casey Introduce Comprehensive Child Care and Early Learning Bill to Ensure Families Have Access to Affordable, High-Quality Child Care
09.14.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Jared Polis (CO-02), and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act today, a comprehensive early learning and child care bill to ensure affordable, high-quality child care for working families across the country. "Decades of research… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Discusses Importance of Investing in High-Quality Early Childhood Education
07.13.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing focused on ways to expand access to high-quality early childhood learning programs. The federal government must increase its investment and commitment to early education programs while ensuring program quality. "The lack of availability and the rising cost of childcare hits working families especially hard," said Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Polis (CO-02). "Many parents can't afford … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on President Trump’s FY18 Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released its Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal that cuts $9 billion from the Department of Education, slashes funding for the Department of Labor by 20 percent, and diminishes the Department of Health and Human Services’ ability to deliver early learning programs and health care for the American people. “A budget is a reflectio… Continue Reading
Bonamici Slams Trump Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Vice Ranking Member of the Education and the Workforce Committee and Top Democrat on the Environment Subcommittee, issued the following statement on President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal: "A budget is a statement of values and priorities. President Trump's proposed budget says more clearly than ever that his values and priorities do not align with those of America's working families. The budget slashes Medicaid health care pro… Continue Reading
Blunt Rochester Statement on Trump’s Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), a member of both the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Agriculture, issued the following statement on the proposed budget from President Trump: "While President Trump's proposed budget should reflect our values, strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life, it, unfortunately, serves only to undermine and weaken the future of working families. Slashing funding for education and agriculture programs is an … Continue Reading
Polis Statement on Trump/DeVos Education Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON: Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., gave the following statement today after President Trump released his Fiscal Year 2018 Budget that included massive cuts to public education. "The destructive funding proposals only further inequities in education. The budget would take precious Title I dollars, our program to support our neediest students and schools, and re-direct them to wealthier schools and unaccountable private schools. Moreover, the budget undermines innovative programs and flies i… Continue Reading
Scott, Conyers Introduce Bill to Address Racial Inequities in Public Education
05.17.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Committee on the Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) introduced the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (EIEA). This legislation would empower parents and communities to address - through robust enforcement - racial inequities, including inequities in access to educational resources, in public education. Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in th… Continue Reading
On Anniversary of Brown, Democrats Unveil Legislation to Invest in Schools, Create Jobs
05.17.17 WASHINGTON - Today, on the 63rd anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and House Democrats introduced H.R. 2475 The Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2017. This legislation highlights the need for bold investment in school infrastructure as a means to achieve greater educational equity, while breathing new life into communities and creating jobs. "No child should learn, and n… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Omnibus
05.03.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the passage (309-118) of fiscal year 2017 omnibus legislation, H.R. 244 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017: "Budgeting requires making tough choices, and a budget is a reflection of priorities. Today's spending agreement prevents the government from shutting down and limits harmful efforts to balance the budget on the backs of students, working families, and vulnerable communities across the nation. "As l… Continue Reading
Bonamici, Casey Defend Community Voices in Education
04.03.17 WASHINGTON, DC [04/03/17] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), and members of the House and Senate Education Committees requested that the Department of Education enforce requirements in law that direct states and school districts to consult with local stakeholders while implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Last month, the Department removed stakeholder consultation requirements from its revised template that states must submit for federal a… Continue Reading
Democrats Push Trump Administration to Protect the Education of Undocumented Children
04.03.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Reps. Bobby Scott (VA-03), John Conyers (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), and Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), the Ranking Members of the Committees on Education and the Workforce, Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, respectively, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly asking them to remind public schools that they are still required to educate un… Continue Reading
Scott Condemns Trump Administration’s Decision to Pull Funding for School Diversity
03.30.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education's decision to not fulfil grant awards to school districts seeking to make public schools more diverse: "The Trump Administration's decision to end the Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunities Grant Program is not only disappointing, but also shortsighted. The Administration's assertion, as reported by the Washington Post, that using $12 million already appropriated federal funds is… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Condemn President Trump for Weakening Accountability for Students, Parents, Teachers and Communities
03.27.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statements today on President Trump signing two resolutions that significantly weakens both the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act and makes it more difficult for teacher candidates to make informed decisions on the quality of their teacher pre… Continue Reading