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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2000

News Release

NEA Joins Black Caucus In Call for School Modernization

"Passage of this bill cannot occur soon enough -- no more excuses."

Washington, D.C. -- The National Education Association (NEA) joined the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in delivering an urgent plea to Congress to immediately pass the America's Better Classrooms Act. With few days remaining before Congress adjourns, NEA President Bob Chase said inaction would be negligent. "Passage of this bill cannot occur soon enough," declared Chase. "We urge the House leadership to bring the bill to a vote immediately. No more excuses." Representatives Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) introduced the bill that now boasts 228 House co-sponsors and 95 advocacy group supporters.

Much of the enrollment growth of the last 15 years has taken place in large urban regions of the nation. According to the Department of Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District -- the second largest in the country -- projects a shortfall of 85,900 desks within the next six years when enrollments are expected to rise from 711,000 students in 2000 to about 750,000 students by 2005. Already in some classrooms, there are twice as many children as there are desks. Some 15,000 schoolchildren must ride buses each day because there is no room at their home school. School officials predict they will have to build 100 new schools in the next 10 years and need to hire an additional 4,000 teachers every year through at least 2005.

"School disrepair and overcrowding are affecting minority students disproportionately," said Chase. "This is unconscionable." In Miami, one of the busiest "gateway" points for new immigrants as well as a center of southern migration, the schools in Dade County are overflowing. Enrollment increased by 32 percent between 1988 and 1998, adding 84,550 students to the rolls. According to Miami-Dade officials, 41 percent of their schools are at least 150 percent over capacity, and 84,000 students attend school in portable classrooms. The school system has to build one elementary school a month just to keep up with the influx of new immigrants.

"Many of our nation's public school buildings are at best outdated -- and at worst, in a state of disrepair," said Chase. "These conditions are exacerbated by rising enrollments and buildings that are an average age of 42 years. Overcrowded classrooms and structurally unfit schools impair student achievement and diminish student discipline and safety."

A recent NEA study documented more than $300 billion in unmet infrastructure and technology needs - nearly three times the level estimated in previous research by the General Accounting Office. States and localities alone cannot meet these urgent needs. "With Congressional Budget Office projections of a five-year non-Social Security surplus of $695 billion, there is no excuse for not devoting less than 0.3 percent of the surplus to this critical area," said Chase.

The America's Better Classrooms Act would leverage $1.74 billion over five years in tax credits to pay the interest on $25 billion in school modernization bonds and allows those closest to the schools to make important spending decisions. Local communities would make all decisions about which schools to build, renovate, or repair.

"The American public clearly supports additional federal investment in public education," said Chase. "A recent bipartisan survey of likely voters found strong support for a federal role in initiatives such as school repair and renovation. NEA commended members of Congress for their bipartisan work on behalf of America's children." NEA also urged Congress to provide increased investments through the Fiscal Year 2001 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill in other critical education programs, including urgent school repairs, after school, class size reduction, and teacher quality.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.