Press Releases
Currently showing results related to K-12 Education
House, Senate Education Leaders to DeVos: Stop Robbing Public School Students of COVID-19 Relief Funding
07.31.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House and Senate education leaders called on the Education Department to rescind its "equitable service" interim final rule, which would redirect COVID-19 relief funding away from students in public schools to fund services for students in private schools, regardless of their wealth or residence. In the letter, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ran… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray: Republican K-12 Proposal is “a recipe for more chaos and illness”
07.28.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Education and Labor Committee, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on the Republican proposal to condition K-12 funds by requiring schools to operate in-person, and directing federal funding to unaccountable private schools. "Democrats want schools to re-open for in-person learning if it can be done safely-but the partisan Republi… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on How the Administration’s Failed COVID-19 Response has Hurt Native Students
07.24.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee held a virtual briefing to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and tribally controlled schools, and how the federal government has failed to serve Native students. The federal government has a legal obligation to provide elementary and secondary education to Native American children associated with tribes. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Native American students were deprived of critical educational resources and support. … Continue Reading
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist: There Should Be No Conditions on School Funding
07.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, during a Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Secondary and Elementary Education hearing on reopening schools, Dr. Sean O'Leary, Vice Chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), urged Congress to provide at least $200 billion in aid to K-12 schools that "must be available to all schools, regardless of their timeline for reopening." "Schools and areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread may need to consider delaying a return … Continue Reading
House Chairs Question Secretary DeVos’s Delay Distributing COVID-19 Relief for Puerto Rico
07.16.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03) demanded an explanation for why the Department has delayed distributing emergency educational relief for Puerto Rico. Congress designated $400 million in the CARES Act to help Puerto Rico address immediate educational needs, and the Department has only disbursed $7 million, citing past pro… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Celebrates Passage of the Moving Forward Act
07.01.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which includes the Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act. "We all want to reopen our schools as soon as possible. But we cannot take this step when the Centers for Disease Control guidance requires functioning ventilation systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "The Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act provisions in the infrastructure package offe… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Moving Forward Act
06.30.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following remarks during the floor debate of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which includes the Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act. "Today, I rise in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. "I want to focus on the fact that this infrastructure package includes our nation's schools. For decades, underserved students and educators have spent nearly every day in school facilities with outdated air filtration, air conditioning, and roofing systems… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Equitable Services Rule
06.25.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education issued an interim final rule to redirect COVID-19 relief funding from high-poverty public schools toward services for students in private schools, regardless of their wealth. "Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government agree that the Department's interpretation of the CARES Act's equitable services requirement violates both the letter and spirit of the law. Unfort… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Briefing on School Infrastructure
06.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual briefing to discuss the state of school infrastructure. The briefing, entitled "Reopening and Rebuilding America's Schools," came on the heels of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which projected that 54 percent of school districts across the country must replace or update major systems in more than half their buildings. The report also found that 4 in 10 schools needed to replace Heating, Ventilation,… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act
06.22.20 WASHINGTON - The Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act, which was included in the Moving Forward Act infrastructure package, invests $130 billion targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that endanger the health and safety of students and educators. This investment will help students get back to school and create over 2 million jobs to help workers get back to work. Here's what people are saying about it: 21st Century School Fund Executive Director Mary Filardo: "We applaud the lead… Continue Reading
House Democrats Introduce H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act
06.22.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), joined by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, released the text of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Remarks at Moving Forward Act Press Conference
06.18.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks at a press event with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders about the Moving Forward Act (H.R.2), which includes the Rebuild and Reopen America's Schools Act. "Thank you, Speaker Pelosi and thank you for your hard work and dedication on all of the issues, especially infrastructure. I want to thank our other Chairs for their leadership. "I know I speak for students, parents, and educators acro… Continue Reading
Top Educator: Without More Funding for Public Education, Schools Can’t Safely Reopen After COVID-19
06.15.20 WASHINGTON - During today's full Committee hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic's devastating impact on public education, Becky Pringle, Vice President of National Education Association, cautioned that without increased investment in state and local funding for public education, our nation's students cannot return to school safely. The hearing focused on how existing inequities and achievement gaps have been exacerbated by the pandemic, causing the nation's most vulnerable students to fall further… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Statement at Hearing Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Public Education
06.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing entitled, "Budget Cuts and Lost Learning: Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Public Education." "Before I deliver opening remarks, let me first acknowledge the recent protests against police misconduct and in favor of racial equity and justice across the nation and the world. The times are demanding that we address this country's centuries-old challenge. With today's hearing, we can be prepared to answe… Continue Reading
GAO Report: More than Half of School Districts Need Significant Building Repairs; Ventilation Systems Are Major Concern
06.04.20 WASHINGTON - A new report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that more than half of America's public school districts are in need of significant repairs to their school facilities. According to the report - which was the GAO's first study of school infrastructure needs since 1996 - 54 percent of school districts across the country must replace or update major systems in more than half their buildings. Notably, GAO found that Heating, Ventilation, and Air Con… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on 66th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement ahead of the 66th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. "This year's anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education comes at a pivotal and perilous moment in the fight for educational equity. Last month, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that students have a constitutional right to a basic education. But the COVID-… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Demands Education Department Abandon Plan to Use COVID-19 Relief Money to Fund Private School Voucher Scheme
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) called on the Education Department to abandon its plan to divert emergency education funding, which was intended to provide COVID-19 relief for public schools, toward private school vouchers. The letter comes after the Department announced its intention to use a vast majority of the $300 million it received for discretionary grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, a… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Honors Public Schools Week, Calls for Investments in School Infrastructure
02.25.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement to honor Public Schools Week. "Strong public schools are the foundation of success for young people across the country. But in many American communities, students, teachers, and parents continue to suffer the consequences of our failure to prioritize funding for public education. "On average, K-12 school facilities are nearly 45 years old and are being underfunded by $46 billion each year, with high-poverty and majority B… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Reacts to State of the Union
02.04.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to the State of the Union. "I am disappointed that President Trump's State of the Union address failed to offer meaningful solutions to the critical issues facing students, workers, and families across the country. "The president did not offer a serious plan to reverse the chronic underfunding of public education. Instead, he touted a $5 billion private school voucher program that would function as a tax break… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Honors Courtney Everts Mykytyn
01.14.20 Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) submitted the following statement into the Congressional Record to honor Courtney Everts Mykytyn, the founder of Integrated Schools, who died tragically late last year. "In 1954, the United States Supreme Court unanimously struck down lawful school segregation in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. In a unanimous decision, the Court stated, 'where the state has undertaken to provide it, [education] is a right which must be made available to… Continue Reading