NREAC Meeting Minutes

  

March 23, 2010

NREAC Conference Call

 

Joe Bard
Noelle Ellerson
Phil Gerik
Mary Kusler
Bill LeTarte
Jay McAdams
Claudette Morton
Ray Patrick
Don Rogers
Scott Turney
Dave Walrath

  • ESEA Blueprint:  USED released the administration’s Blueprint for Reauthorization earlier this month. Apart from AASA’s response to the blueprint (online: http://www.aasa.org/aasablog.aspx?id=12708&blogid=286), there are a host of rural-related priorities for AASA and NREAC to follow. Specifically, we are looking at the reauthorization of REAP, the use of formula to move program dollars and not competitive grants, fixing the Title I number weighting issue, and talking about the general caution with which we respond to a one-size-fits all policy. These issues are all echoed in a letter moving around the House Rural Caucus, explained in the next section of meeting notes.
  • We are gaining traction on the more policy-focused issue of formula funds vs. competitive grants. Congress seems to understand what such a switch would mean for schools. We continue to monitor how the discussion around competitive grants—a strong component of the administration’s FY11 budget—plays out, and will let you know if we need you to contact your Congressional delegations.
  • House Rural Caucus Letter on ESEA Reauthorization: Right now, we are working on a letter within the House Rural Caucus relating to rural issues in ESEA reauthorization. Specifically, we are working for a letter, addressed to Chairman Miller, that supports the inclusion of the Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act, funds federal programs through formulae and not competitive grants, eliminates the small school district bias in the Title I formulas, recognizes the impact of data on small school districts and remembers the impact of one-size-fits-all policies on rural schools. As this letter moves along, we will make sure to share the final version.
  • Senate Mark Up of Child Nutrition Bill: The Senate is scheduled to mark up its Child Nutrition legislation on March 24. We were surprised to see this introduced last week. Overall, the bill is great, though we are deeply concerned with what we see as unfunded mandate issue and an over-reach of the federal government in trying to dictate how local districts do food budgeting.
  • The bill increases funding for child nutrition by $4.5 billion over 10 years.  It creates a requirement that the Secretary of Agriculture create a new national training, education and certification process for all school food service directors. In order to receive/participate in the lunch/breakfast program, your director would have to meet the requirements of a new national service process. We are concerned that small/rural schools do not have stand-alone food service directors: Many times, your food service director is also your principal or other personnel. This would play out the same way the NCLB requirement for highly qualified teachers did, and represents the creation of a federal standard to which all schools must comply, regardless of situation. To top it off, this is again without any additional funding.
  • Ideally, we will be looking for an amendment to the bill that strikes the entire provision for all training requirements and the associated unfunded mandates. You can access AASA’s letter to the committee here: http://www.aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Policy_and_Advocacy/files/Senate%20Markup%203-10.pdf
  • If you have a member on the committee, please make sure to contact them and weigh in on the key issues. Click here (http://ag.senate.gov/site/cmtemembers.html) for a list of members.
  • National Broadband Plan: In 2009, Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission to develop a National Broadband Plan (NBP) to ensure every American has access to broadband capability. The final plan was released on March 17, 2010. The plan outlines the FCC’s very ambitious strategy for achieving affordability and maximizing the use of broadband to advance/address a broad list of domestic and national priorities, including education. Here are five quick bullet points summarizing AASA's response:
  • AASA is optimistic about what the NBP represents for the nation as a whole and for its potential impact in America’s schools.
  • AASA supports the FCC’s call to annually raise the cap on funding for E-Rate to account for inflation. The annual demand for E-Rate consistently exceeds the cap, which until now has not kept up with inflation. AASA believes it is time to raise the E-Rate funding cap to not only adjust for inflation, but to also meet the program demand. This is the only way to ensure that America’s schools have access to the breadth of information and educational services for which broadband access is a prerequisite.
  • AASA has long advocated for the streamlining of the E-Rate application process, and applauds the FCC’s proposal to do just that.
  • AASA opposes any changes to distribute E-Rate funds through competitive grants.
  • AASA is concerned by the call for increased data collection and the likely trickle-down administrative burden this places on school districts.
  • You can access a thorough overview/analysis of the plan online: http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=12782
  • Senate Appropriations ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter: Senator Conrad and Senator Collins are circulating a 'Dear Colleague' letter to appropriators requesting increased funding for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP).  Please encourage your Senators to join Sens. Conrad and Collins on this letter. The deadline to add your Senator(s) is April 14.
  • Last year, the following Senators requested the same $300 million funding level for REAP: Baucus, Michael Bennet, Bingaman, Burris, Casey, Conrad, Dorgan, Gillibrand, Johnson, Klobuchar, Levin, Lincoln, Roberts, Rockefeller, Schumer, Stabenow, Tester, Tom Udall, Warner. You can reference the following DoEd links to find your state and district funding levels under the Small and Rural School Achievement Program and Rural and Low Income Schools Program. Combining funding received under the two programs will tell you how much your state received under REAP. Also, REAP is an authorized program and is not considered an earmark.
  • How can you help? Share Sen. Conrad and Sen. Collins' letter with your Senators, and ask them to sign on to the 'Dear Colleague' letter to be sent to Senate appropriators by April 14.
  • What’s Next: The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 at 1 pm EST.
  • You recently received the links to a survey on the continued impact of the economic downturn on schools, and a link for a survey about Response to Intervention implementation. Thank you for your continued support of the AASA surveys. The information you give through the surveys is very helpful to the work Mary and I do; any time we can cite data detailing feedback from the field or constituents, it is invaluable. 
  • In the coming week, I will be sending you a rural-specific survey. In our February meeting, we were asked to collect information/examples of rural schools being innovative. This survey will allow us to give anecdotal, real-time information of the work districts are already doing to improve struggling schools, improve recruitment/retention, address afterschool opportunities, deal with at-risk youth, address school climate/safety concerns, and other issues. It is a chance to shift the focus of a conversation from the challenges rural schools face to a conversation of those challenges in the context of the successes you are able to produce, your successes, what goes well, and what works, to demonstrate that rural schools do not need the federal government to dictate innovation.