Letter to the Senate HELP Committee on Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child
April 21, 2010
The National Education Association, representing 3.2 million educators across the nation, would like to share with you the enclosed materials in advance of tomorrow’s hearing in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on ESEA Reauthorization: Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child.
for your information is a backgrounder highlighting NEA views on the broad array of issues that go into a public education system designed to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared for success. Included are views on
- Addressing students’ physical, social and emotional health and well-being.
- Ensuring equity, adequacy and sustainability in resources and quality among public schools and districts.
- Ensuring that students are actively engaged in a wide variety of experiences and settings in and outside the classroom.
- Providing students with mentors and counselors they need to feel safe and supported.
- Ensuring modern, up-to-date school conditions and access to a broad array of resources.
- Reducing class sizes so that students receive the individualized attention they need to succeed.. Encouraging parental and community involvement.
Also attached is a spring 2009 research brief from NEA’s Visiting Scholars Program on community schools.
We thank the Committee for holding this important hearing. However, we remind you that none of these issues can be adequately addressed, nor can we implement successful education reform, without talented, dedicated educators in our schools. In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of educators have received pink slips, with more to come. State budget crises are forcing massive layoffs, ballooning class sizes, and dramatic program cuts – all of which are shortchanging our students and jeopardizing our future strength as a nation.
Before Congress addresses the myriad of issues under consideration in this week’s hearing, you must enact an education jobs package, to save educator jobs and ensure the education workforce necessary to implement reforms. We strongly urge the Senate to pass the Keep Our Educators Working Act (S.3206), which would provide $23 billion to extend the already successful State Fiscal Stabilization Fund assistance provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Without an education jobs package, important discussions such as those in this week’s hearing will be meaningless.
We thank you for your immediate attention to these critical issues.
Sincerely,
Kim Anderson
Director of Government Relations
