Federal Legislative Update
June 2005

June 24, 2005
June 17, 2005
June 10, 2005

06/24/05

News from Capitol Hill...

Bill Helps Educators Pay Classroom Expenses

As a result of intense lobbying by NEA, a bill was introduced in the House this week that increases from $250 to $400 a tax deduction for educator expenses and broadens the deduction -- for the first time -- to include out-of-pocket professional development expenses. Significantly, the "Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2005" (H.R. 2989), sponsored by Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), also would make the deduction a permanent part of the tax code.

To be eligible, the educator must work at least 900 hours in grades K-12 during a school year. The bill covers teachers, instructors, paraprofessionals, counselors and principals. Among the qualified expenses would be books, lesson materials, flash cards, crayons, computer equipment (including related software and services), supplementary materials used in the classroom, and professional development.

The current educator tax deduction expires this year. It is estimated that every teacher spends on average $443 of her or his own money each year on classroom materials. The bipartisan bill currently has 17 cosponsors.

Action Needed

Urge your Representative to cosponsor the Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2005

House Education Budget Nears Finish

The House had not finished its work on the education budget as this update was being written, but based on one and a half days of debate and votes it appeared that minor improvements were being made, though the budget still will fall well short of meeting the needs of America's children and public schools. Credit for lessening the budget's impact goes to NEA members, other educators, parents and others who registered their concerns with their Members of Congress.

Among the noteworthy votes were the approval of an NEA-approved amendment to rescind a proposed cut of $100 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the defeat of an amendment opposed by NEA to add $70 million to President Bush's new merit pay program for teachers. Also defeated was an amendment supported by NEA that would have provided a $50 million increase in state grants for students with disabilities. In a positive development, House budget and education leaders committed to trying to find additional money for Pell Grants when the budget is in conference with the Senate.

The House was expected to finish its work on the budget this afternoon. The Senate will take up its version of the education budget in late July or August.

6/17/05
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News from Capitol Hill...

Victory! Deadline for Paraprofessionals Extended

In a huge victory, the deadline for paraprofessionals to meet the "highly qualified" requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act has been extended from January 8, 2006, to the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The extension, long sought by NEA, was made public in a June 15 letter to Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) from Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon.

As a result of the change, the timeline for paraprofessionals working in Title I schools will be the same as that for teachers. The Idaho Education Association, which has been steadfast in its outreach to Representative Simpson, was instrumental in this big win.

Action Needed

E-mail this page as widely as possible to ensure that every paraprofessional is made aware of this development.

House Education Funding Bill Leaves Children Behind

The needs of children were given short shrift yesterday, as the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that eliminates, cuts or freezes funding to critical No Child Left Behind (NCLB) programs, as well as continues to ignore the federal government's commitment to students with disabilities. The 0.2 percent overall increase for the Department of Education, which is the smallest in a decade, reflects the misplaced priority by President Bush and Congress' Republican leadership on tax cuts at the expense of education.

The Committee cut funding for key NCLB programs by $806 million, bringing funding below the level set three years ago, while somehow managing to find $100 million for President Bush's new teacher merit pay program. Targeted for the biggest cuts are Safe and Drug Free Schools, Education Technology, and Comprehensive School Reform. The bill eliminates funding for foreign language instruction, gifted and talented education, parent assistance centers and arts education. It also freezes funds for teacher quality state grants, which will cut support to 56,000 teachers.

The bill provides Title I a 0.8 percent increase, failing to keep pace with the growing number of disadvantaged students who require targeted assistance to meet increasing NCLB mandates. Also, it breaks the promise to put the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act on the path to full funding, reducing the federal share of special education funding.

The bill is scheduled to go to the House floor next week.

Action Needed

Urge your Representative  to vote against this bill unless additional investments for education are added

Leader Vows To Strip Head Start Discrimination Ban

The chairman of the House Education Committee, Representative John Boehner (R-OH), will seek to have anti-employment discrimination language stripped from the Head Start reauthorization bill when it comes to the House floor this summer.

At risk are longstanding protections for more than 198,000 Head Start teachers and staff and more than 1.4 million parent volunteers from employment discrimination based on religion in federally funded Head Start programs. NEA believes these fundamental civil rights protections have been effective and they allow religious organizations to participate in programs while maintaining basic constitutional and civil rights.

Look for additional information and a call to action, if necessary, in the coming weeks.

6/10/05
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News from Capitol Hill...

House Committee Cuts Funding for 'No Child Left Behind'

Children and public schools paid the price of misplaced political priorities yesterday, when the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education passed a bill that cuts, freezes or comes up short on funding for key "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) programs and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Because of the insistence by President Bush and Republican Congressional leadership on tax cuts, appropriators have placed the needs of children at the back of the line.

Slated for cuts are Safe and Drug Free Schools, Education Technology, and Comprehensive School Reform. Overall, funding for "No Child Left Behind" will decrease by $806 million. The bill freezes funding for critical NCLB programs as well. Among these: After School Centers, Rural Education, Teacher Quality and Reading First. Title I receives a 0.8 percent increase, while the federal share of special education funding declines. Some programs are eliminated altogether, such as Community Technology Centers, Arts Education and Parent Assistance Centers. In another major setback, the bill includes $100 million for President Bush's Teacher Incentive Fund, which would fund teacher merit pay.

NEA believes Congressional leaders and President Bush have the wrong priorities when they eliminate, cut or freeze funding for vital education programs while America's public schools struggle to meet the needs of increasing numbers of disadvantaged students and students with special needs.

The bill is expected to go before the full House Appropriations Committee next week.

Action Needed

Contact your Representative and ask him or her to urge the members of the Appropriations Committee to craft a bill that makes children and families a priority by keeping as close as possible to the funding levels promised for "No Child Left Behind" programs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Pell Grants.

Ed Dept. Policy Threatens To Undo Progress for Girls, Women

The U.S. Department of Education recently issued a policy "clarification" that threatens to reverse decades of progress women and girls have made under Title IX in sports and academics. Title IX requires all education programs that receive taxpayer dollars to give girls and women opportunities equal to those offered boys and men.

Under the new policy, all a school has to do to show it is providing its female students with equal opportunities to play sports is to send each of its female students an e-mail survey asking whether they have the interest and ability to play additional sports. Each failure to reply can be counted as a lack of interest. Given the low response rates to surveys generally and electronic surveys specifically, NEA believes the Department's new policy undermines the law's intent.

Action Needed

Urge your Senators and Representative to instruct the Department of Education to withdraw the new policy.

IDEA Hearings Announced: Educator Viewpoint a Must

The U.S. Department of Education will hold seven public hearings around the country beginning next week on the Department's proposed regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The comments of teachers and other educators is vital if IDEA is to be implemented in a way that ensures it serves the needs of special need students and the NEA members who teach them.

When the draft regulations are published, NEA will provide talking points to members who wish to testify. Here is the hearing schedule:

June 17 - Nashville, TN

Joe and Faye Wyatt Center for Education
1930 South Drive
Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

June 22 -- Sacramento, CA

John F. Kennedy High School
6715 Gloria Drive
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

June 24 -- Las Vegas

Donald C. Moyer Student Union
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

June 27 -- New York

W Hotel, Forest 1 Room
541 Lexington Avenue
between 49th and 50th Street
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

June 29 - Chicago

Palmer House Hilton
Red Lacquer Room,
17 E. Monroe Street
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

July 7 -- San Antonio, TX

Education Service Center
Region 20
1314 Hines Avenue
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

July 12 -- Washington, D.C.

Gallaudet University
Kellogg Conference Center
800 Florida Avenue NE
1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

For more information, contact NEA staff members Kim Anderson at KAnderson@nea.org or Patti Ralabate at PRalabate@nea.org.