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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2000

News Release

NEA Implores Congress to Pass School Funding

"This is a Prime Time to Set a Bipartisan Tone for a New Congress"

Washington, D.C. -- National Education Association (NEA) President Bob Chase implored Congress to immediately pass the Fiscal year 2001 education appropriations bill when it reconvenes this week. "After inexcusable delays, this is a chance for Congress to take important bipartisan action in support of children and public education," said Chase. "In addition to providing our schools with much-needed funding, such action would set a constructive tone for a new Congress -- a tone our nation is desperately seeking right now."

Chase warned against any further delays. "Failing to act on final passage this week would be unconscionable," said Chase. "Many schools and children are already suffering the effects of Congress' shirking its responsibility to pass basic appropriations bills." "Impact Aid" schools, such as those on military bases and Indian reservations, should have received funding last month and are operating in dangerous budget limbo. Under continued stop-gap spending measures that freeze funding at FY 2000 levels, financial aid officers will also be unable to provide new students with increases in Pell grants and College Work Study. In addition, schools nationwide are trying to make hiring decisions and without funding allocations they will be hard pressed to recruit and hire new teachers.

Despite good faith negotiations that produced a bipartisan compromise, last month Republican leaders rejected the proposal. The rejected $7.9 billion compromise would provide a 22 percent increase in federal education programs to hire and train new teachers, reduce class size, repair and renovate schools, increase the federal share of special education for children with disabilities, and provide additional afterschool programs. "For the first time in history, schools would receive targeted federal help to make much-needed school repairs," said Chase.

A school construction bill that would provide $25 billion in bonds for repairs and new construction is also at stake as Congress continues to delay action. The House Johnson-Rangel bill boasts 231 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle - a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The NEA joined forces with 100 education groups in the nonpartisan Committee for Education Funding in calling for immediate Congressional action. For more information visit www.cef.org.

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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.