Press Releases
Currently showing results related to K-12 Education
115 House Democrats Demand Stronger Investments in Teachers
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 114 House Democrats sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee expressing strong opposition to the elimination of the of the Supporting Instruction State Grant Program (Title II-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)) in the FY 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations bill. "In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the bipartisan reauthorization of the ESE… Continue Reading
ESSA Preserves Critical Role of Federal Government, Hearing Confirms
07.18.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Passed in 2015, ESSA was the long-awaited replacement for No Child Left Behind, and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESEA is a civil rights law that governs public K-12 education and directs states and school districts to take action to close persistent achievement gaps. When Congress passed ESSA, it ensured the civil… Continue Reading
Subcommittee Highlights Support For Data, Research to Improve Teaching And Learning
06.28.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled "Exploring Opportunities to Strengthen Education Research While Protecting Student Privacy." Educational data serves as an invaluable research tool that is necessary to improve teaching and learning when it is collected, stored, and used responsibly. There is a need for greater investment in education research and Congress must incentivize state and local leaders to develop data sys… 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 Findings of D.C. Voucher Program Study
04.27.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the Department of Education released a report concluding that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) - the only federally funded voucher program - had negative impacts on student achievement. "We know vouchers don't work. For years I've been saying that on average, voucher programs are average. But IES confirms th… 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
Scott Statement on Supreme Court Decision on Students with Disabilities
03.22.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement today after the Supreme Court released their decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. The case addressed whether or not the school district provided a free, appropriate public education to a student with autism. Ranking Member Scott co-lead an amicus brief to the Court with Senator Patty Murray last fall, citing the extensive legislative history showing congressional intent to provide a meaningful bene… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Criticize Secretary DeVos on Rushed and Problematic State Plan Template
03.13.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement today on Secretary DeVos' state plan template, which does not require stakeholder engagement or public comment, raising a number of initial concerns about whether this template complies with the Every Student Succeeds Act. "We are disa… Continue Reading
Polis Statement on U.S. Department of Education’s Closed-Process for ESSA Implementation
03.13.17 WASHINGTON: Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education's new application template for states to develop their accountability plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Department of Education's guidance follows the U.S. Senate's passage of H.J. Res 57, a resolution to overturn key accountability protections in ESSA. The new template removes a key requirement that states consult stakeholders when drafting the state plan. "Elim… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Call on Secretary DeVos to Implement Every Student Succeeds Act As Congress Intended
03.10.17 (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 today inquiring about the Department's proposed state template and encouraging the Department to make sure the plan complies with the federal guardrails the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) puts in place… Continue Reading
Polis Statement on Senate Passage of Resolution to Unravel School Accountability Measures
03.09.17 WASHINGTON: Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., released the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate passage of H.J. Res 57, a resolution to overturn key accountability protections in the Every Student Succeeds Act. "The Senate's vote today represents another example of Republicans chipping away at our bipartisan work on the Every Student Succeeds Act," Polis said. "The accountability provisions in the law represent critical civil rights protections for students and go hand-in-hand with the Depart… Continue Reading
Scott Denounces Senate Move to Weaken Public Education
03.09.17 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Senate voted 50-49 to undermine civil rights protections in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). "Faithful implementation of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act should not be a partisan issue. States and school districts want the stability and consistency provided by the Department of Education's consensus-driven regulations that Congressional Republicans h… Continue Reading