Republicans Pass Bill to Rob Funds from Poor, Give to Rich Schools
WASHINGTON—House Republicans today voted to turn back the clock on American public education and harm our nation’s neediest children. Along strict party lines, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee pushed through a bill that reduces funding, eliminates and weakens protections for disadvantaged students, fails to provide a quality education for all children, and neglects our public school teachers. Committee Democrats offered several amendments to fix the legislation’s glaring problems with sound, research-backed policies, but all were voted down by the GOP majority.
The bill (H.R. 5) passed at today’s markup walks away from the broad national consensus that schools must prepare all students to graduate college- and career- ready and to succeed in the global economy. The Republican legislation scraps meaningful standards for student achievement, eliminates supports for a well-rounded education, fails to provide for the success of teachers and administrators, and allots irresponsibly low funding states and schools. The bill’s funding levels amount to a dangerous divestment from education, perhaps most egregiously so in its Title I “portability” provision and its lack of “maintenance of effort” requirements.
“Numerous analyses demonstrate that Title I ‘portability’ will take away resources from our poorest schools and districts and give them to more affluent ones, undermining the historic federal role of targeting aid to our neediest students,” said Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA). “To add insult to injury, eliminating maintenance of effort would allow states and districts to use education funds for tax relief or any non-education initiative. The net effect of both Title I ‘portability’ and cutting maintenance of effort is to undermine the federal commitment to our poorest schools and children.”
The Republican legislation abandons the fundamental principles of equity and accountability in our education system. At its core, ESEA is a civil rights law, meant to ensure all children—regardless of their background, ZIP code, disability or family’s income—have equal access to a well-rounded, world-class education. H.R. 5 removes provisions in the law that help states, districts and schools meet that goal.
“The Republican bill does a disservice to the fifty-year history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and, more importantly, a disservice to our country’s students,” said Rep. Scott. “Instead of proceeding in a deliberative manner to fix No Child Left Behind, this bill shortchanges our schools and students. Unfortunately, our Republican colleagues have dismissed every plea for bipartisan cooperation, and passed a bill that would take American public education back decades.”
Committee Democrats offered several amendments, including a comprehensive substitute, to address the fundamental flaws of H.R. 5. Unlike H.R. 5, the Democratic amendments provide significant and targeted funding for education, maintain accountability protections for students, preserve dedicated resources for disadvantaged students, and uphold our civil rights and equity responsibilities to ensure all students—particularly those in schools and districts with high concentrations of poverty—receive a quality education. While stakeholders throughout the education community, including business and labor, civil rights organizations, and disability rights advocates opposed the Republican bill, the Democratic substitute received support from across the spectrum. Republicans resoundingly rejected the Democratic amendments.
“We are faced with tremendous opportunity to bring our education system into the 21st century. We, Democrats and Republicans, have the chance to work together and ensure that all students have access to a world-class education that prepares them for success in the global economy,” said Rep. Scott. “The American public education system offers—and must continue to offer—an equal opportunity to all children. Every child in this country deserves a quality education, one that prepares them for lifelong success.”
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