America’s Promise Alliance Urges Congress To Preserve Education Reform Funding
7/13/2010
On July 1, the House of Representatives passed a supplemental war spending bill with a provision including $10 billion to avert teacher and school employee layoffs and $4.95 billion to adjust for a shortfall in the Pell Grant Program. Representative David R. Obey (D-WI), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, proposed paying for the effort, in part, with $500 million in cuts from Obama’s Race to the Top competition, $200 million in cuts from the Teacher Incentive Fund and $100 million in cuts from the Charter Schools Program. Dozens of charter school and other advocacy groups are lobbying against cuts to the Administration’s education programs. The Senate will consider the legislation in the coming weeks.
Statement made by Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance
"On behalf of America’s children, while we applaud the House of Representatives for including the language of the Obey Amendment during passage of the Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 4899), we remain concerned that this amendment is paid for, in part, by cutting funding from Race to the Top, the Charter Schools Program, and the Teacher Incentive Fund. These important programs help strengthen our schools and close the achievement gap. This amendment does provide vital emergency funding for children by including $10 billion to protect the jobs of 140,000 teachers and school employees in districts around the country and $4.95 billion to close the Pell grant shortage. However, as Congress continues debating the Supplemental Appropriations Act, we urge the Senate to include the Obey Amendment, but ensure that any offsets do not hinder President Obama’s and Secretary Duncan’s commitment to education reform."