Letter to the U.S. Senate

October 22, 2007

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the National Education Association's (NEA) 3.2 million members, we urge you to VOTE NO on any Motion to Commit the FY 2008 Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations bill (S. 1710) to the Appropriations Committee to reduce funding levels closer to those in the President's budget request. 

Votes associated with any such motion will be included in the NEA Legislative Report Card for the 110th Congress.  

The funding levels in the President's budget request would be devastating for public education.  The President proposed cutting overall education funding by $1.5 billion (-2.6%), including cuts to special education, Head Start, and a 50 percent cut in funding for career and technical education. The President also proposed completely eliminating over 40 education programs such as dropout prevention, school counseling, education technology, civics education, and gifted and talented education.

In contrast, S. 1710 provides essential increases for Title I, special education, Pell Grants, and Head Start. S. 1710 will put education funding back on track and closer to meeting the needs of the schools and the millions of students they serve. 

We strongly oppose any effort to reduce the critical education funding in S. 1710 to the wholly inadequate levels proposed by the President.  

Sincerely,

Diane Shust, Director of Government Relations

Randall Moody, Manager of Federal Advocacy