JC/DC ACTION ALERT: Take Action: Tell Your Representative to OPPOSE proposed cuts to Essential Education Programs for Students

A small group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives has proposed significant funding cuts that threaten the quality of education for 49.9 million children across the country, including children here in Missouri.

The FY2024 Labor-HHS-Education bill proposes cuts of $22.1 billion in education funding-28% of vital educational programs.  The bill eliminates the Statewide Family Engagement Centers Program, which would harm children and families nationwide who need these vital family engagement opportunities and services.  The bill also reduces Title 1 funding by 80 percent, significantly risking the quality of education children receive at Title 1 schools.

These funding losses will not only negatively impact children and families across the nation for years to come but will have significant impact now for a nation still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and whose children need more academic support now than ever.

Missouri PTA advocates are called upon to ensure your US Representative  understands that you are paying attention and that this issue is important to you!

MOPTA Advocates are invited to utilize the letter below to guide your calls, emails, and social media contact with your lawmaker(s).

Dear Representative,

As your constituent and a parent/guardian, I urge you to understand that the long-term success of our nation depends on quality federal investments in our education system and I ask that you OPPOSE the proposed FY2024 Labor-HHS Education Bill.

The FY2024 Labor-HHS-Education bill as currently written has the potential to cause significant harm to children & families throughout the nation. If passed, this legislation would: 

       • Cut $22.1 billion of education funding overall – a devastating 28% of vital educational programs that serve children and families nationwide; 

      • Reduce funding for Title I by 80 percent, significantly risking the quality of education children receive at these schools in low-income communities; 

      • Eliminate the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) Program, an historically bipartisan program reimagined and launched following the passage of 2015 ESSA that provides much-needed technical assistance and partnership development to states and school districts to foster meaningful engagement with families; and 

      • Freeze funding for critical programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title IV-A, rendering some communities unable to serve all students with disabilities and provide a well-rounded education. 

 As the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association, we have long-advocated to ensure children have access to adequately funded public schools that improve their overall well-being and allow students to reach their full potential. Therefore, we were deeply disheartened to see the House propose a bill that cuts $22.1 billion of education funding. This devastating 28% cut will negatively impact learning across the country and further exacerbate an already uphill battle our nation’s students and families are facing in recovering academically from the many opportunities for learning lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not only will these funding losses have a detrimental impact on the quality of education that children and families receive for potentially years to come, but it comes at a time when many of our nation’s children are already in crisis, academically and mentally, and our schools are more in need of federal funding than ever before. On average, reading scores have declined four points, and math has fallen nine points, bringing them to the lowest levels in decades. Proposing a 28% budget cut to education funding while K-12 educational scores are at the lowest levels in decades only serves to devastate our nation’s children, families, and their futures. Now is not the time to cut funding for vital K-12 programs that serve our children and families in every state. Now is the time for robust and effective investments, especially in key family engagement programs and practices to ensure student success.

As your constituent, I call upon you to OPPOSE the proposed FY2024 House Labor-HHS-Education bill and prioritize the quality of education and well-being of our nation’s children and families.

Sincerely,

Your Name and PTA

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Virginia Pennington

Advocacy Chair
Missouri PTA

[email protected]