CAP: GOP ESEA drafts shortchange low-income students and schools

We all want greater state and local flexibility in education, but the devil is indeed in the details.  Flexibility does not have to come at the expense of a high-quality, equal education for all students.

Last week 38 organizations signed a letter to Chairman Kline expressing concern over the Republican draft Elementary and Secondary Act proposals to rollback current law and undermine the core American value of equal opportunity in education embodied in Brown v. Board of Education.

The Center for American Progress (CAP), a Washington, D.C. think tank, is the latest organization to raise serious concerns about the Republican draft proposals. CAP rightly points out that the proposals undermine fiscal equity as well.

Under the guise of increased flexibility, the draft proposals shortchange low-income and minority students.  The proposals repeatedly support moving funds from high-poverty schools to wealthier schools.  For example, under current federal law, nearly $3 billion is provided for improving the skills of teachers and principals. These funds are allocated to states and districts based on poverty levels and population. However, the proposed Republican ESEA drafts would redirect funds to states and districts with the largest populations regardless of their poverty status.

Referring to the set of Republican proposals, the group writes:

“The proposals would weaken equity provisions in the law designed to ensure historically disadvantaged students get a fair shot at a good education.”

“The Kline proposal would also significantly change federal funding patterns. Some changes would clearly diminish the targeting of federal resources based on poverty levels in schools, districts, and states. Other changes would create incentives to divert education funding. Still more telling is the failure of the Kline proposal to close a loophole in federal law that allows school districts to shortchange schools with larger populations of low-income students.”

“Formula changes always entail winners and losers…The clearest loser, however, is a federal focus on redressing poverty.”

Isn’t it time to give states and districts the flexibility they deserve without compromising the guarantee of an equal education for all students? All students, regardless of their background or geography, must be first and foremost in any discussion on reforms to our education laws. This principle should guide our efforts as we move forward.

CAP joins other groups who have raised serious questions over the majority’s two highly partisan draft pieces of legislation as an attempt to rewrite our nation’s education laws.