NEA Resources

Consolidation Hits Rural Schools

Small schools are facing big problems, according to an NEA Today article, "Rural Education Gets Squeezed." West Virginia alone has closed a fifth of its schools in the last decade. They're all victims of a relentless school consolidation effort, leaving children with fond memories to think about on their new, much longer bus rides to bigger schools. (March 2001)

NEA Supports Increased Attention to Rural Schools

The federal government must place increased emphasis on the needs of rural schools, including targeting resources to help attract, train and retain quality teachers. Background information and the Association’s specific recommendations are included in an issue paper on rural education. (June 2001)

NEA Seeks Solution to Funding Forest-area Schools

In testimony presented to a congressional committee, NEA offered six recommendations for finding a "permanent solution" to the problem of funding schools in forested areas where funding now is tied to fluctuating timber sales. Decreases in recent years in federal timber sales have resulted in payments to many rural forest schools dropping to less than ten percent of their historic levels. Many forest communities have faced devastating losses of education funding leading to reductions in teaching staff and other education professionals, elimination of extracurricular programs, cancellation of school meals programs, and postponement of desperately needed building repairs. (July 2002)