To: Congress and the Administration
Elected School Board members demand an aggressive education recovery bill
We are an organized collective of diverse elected school board members who represent over 1.6 million students, writing to urge Congress and the Trump Administration to pass an aggressive educational equity recovery bill that complements the CARES Act to provide critical learning support for our country’s young people and their families.
Why is this important?
The members of tomorrow’s workforce are in today’s classrooms. Unless we are honest about addressing the compounding effects of this pandemic on our most vulnerable students, we will almost certainly see an already unacceptable achievement gap widen significantly due to this pandemic. We are unwilling to allow that to happen and insist that our federal elected leaders step up to support our students and schools in the way they have stepped up to support America’s business sector. Lack of action will do irreparable damage to generations of kids and have long term adverse consequences on the US economy, creating a lack of access to a skilled workforce far into the future. The situation is especially dire given that upcoming state budget shortfalls will squeeze already tight education budgets.
This crisis has not created systemic inequities but has merely exposed them, and Americans have become painfully aware of the enormous role the public school system plays as the center and foundation of our communities. In this time of international fear and anxiety, homes have become schools, and the already unimaginable odds against students & families have exponentially compounded. Now more than ever, students who receive free and reduced lunch, students with disabilities, English language learners, undocumented students, indigenous students, abused or neglected students, unhoused students, incarcerated students, and all of their families need advocates who demand access to the tools necessary for learning.
Recently Congress passed the CARES Act, an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic recovery package. While it includes $13.2 billion in aid for K-12 education, it is not nearly enough to meet the magnitude of the challenges our districts, teachers, students, and families are facing. In service of over 30 million students experiencing poverty and hardship, we request an additional $200 billion federal investment in America’s public schools for the following critical needs:
1) A commitment of $15 billion to provide free broadband access and a laptop to every student in America who needs one, and $8 billion for retraining. Leaders cannot depend on a patchwork solution to meet this need. Now that access to broadband and technology are human rights, our government should guarantee this to every student in America so they can continue learning at home. However, access to the internet and a computer are baseline needs. Many students were already struggling to learn at school; expecting them to learn at home without support is irresponsible. Districts need significant funding to retrain teaching and non-teaching staff to provide desperately needed one-on-one tutoring to support students who are struggling, their caregivers who are learning to be teachers, and teachers who are learning to teach online, so online learning is effective.
2) Once social distancing is lifted, $140 billion for school districts to increase time-in-school by extending the school day and year for the 2020-2021 school year. Students will lose an estimated 3-6 months of critical learning time. For those who are already not prepared for college or career, or in danger of not graduating, this regression will become the tipping point that can result in thousands of additional students dropping out of school or graduating unprepared. With additional funding and the option to extend the school day by at least two hours, districts could accomplish two goals. Students will have the extended learning time that they need, and schools will offer after-hour child care at a time when millions of American families will need it most.
3) $30 billion for a tele-mental health counselor and tele-doctor for every vulnerable student. Every student should receive a tele-counselor and tele-medicine doctor to discuss their mental and physical health needs, and to address additional trauma they may be experiencing due to the pandemic or other life circumstances. This will be especially true for marginalized students and Black communities, who are disproportionately impacted by the infection and death rates.
4) A commitment of $6 billion to ensure every student has housing during this pandemic by providing funding for every school district in America to establish a supportive housing department that connects homeless students and families to housing opportunities and ensures every student has an effective place to learn during this crisis.
We are elected school board members from urban, suburban and rural America and our message is clear for President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader McConnell: While you are throwing trillions of dollars at America’s economic crisis today, please have the foresight to invest in America’s tomorrow through its children. We implore you to invest in students and public schools, and meet the gravity of the moment with the extraordinary leadership America’s learners deserve.
This crisis has not created systemic inequities but has merely exposed them, and Americans have become painfully aware of the enormous role the public school system plays as the center and foundation of our communities. In this time of international fear and anxiety, homes have become schools, and the already unimaginable odds against students & families have exponentially compounded. Now more than ever, students who receive free and reduced lunch, students with disabilities, English language learners, undocumented students, indigenous students, abused or neglected students, unhoused students, incarcerated students, and all of their families need advocates who demand access to the tools necessary for learning.
Recently Congress passed the CARES Act, an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic recovery package. While it includes $13.2 billion in aid for K-12 education, it is not nearly enough to meet the magnitude of the challenges our districts, teachers, students, and families are facing. In service of over 30 million students experiencing poverty and hardship, we request an additional $200 billion federal investment in America’s public schools for the following critical needs:
1) A commitment of $15 billion to provide free broadband access and a laptop to every student in America who needs one, and $8 billion for retraining. Leaders cannot depend on a patchwork solution to meet this need. Now that access to broadband and technology are human rights, our government should guarantee this to every student in America so they can continue learning at home. However, access to the internet and a computer are baseline needs. Many students were already struggling to learn at school; expecting them to learn at home without support is irresponsible. Districts need significant funding to retrain teaching and non-teaching staff to provide desperately needed one-on-one tutoring to support students who are struggling, their caregivers who are learning to be teachers, and teachers who are learning to teach online, so online learning is effective.
2) Once social distancing is lifted, $140 billion for school districts to increase time-in-school by extending the school day and year for the 2020-2021 school year. Students will lose an estimated 3-6 months of critical learning time. For those who are already not prepared for college or career, or in danger of not graduating, this regression will become the tipping point that can result in thousands of additional students dropping out of school or graduating unprepared. With additional funding and the option to extend the school day by at least two hours, districts could accomplish two goals. Students will have the extended learning time that they need, and schools will offer after-hour child care at a time when millions of American families will need it most.
3) $30 billion for a tele-mental health counselor and tele-doctor for every vulnerable student. Every student should receive a tele-counselor and tele-medicine doctor to discuss their mental and physical health needs, and to address additional trauma they may be experiencing due to the pandemic or other life circumstances. This will be especially true for marginalized students and Black communities, who are disproportionately impacted by the infection and death rates.
4) A commitment of $6 billion to ensure every student has housing during this pandemic by providing funding for every school district in America to establish a supportive housing department that connects homeless students and families to housing opportunities and ensures every student has an effective place to learn during this crisis.
We are elected school board members from urban, suburban and rural America and our message is clear for President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader McConnell: While you are throwing trillions of dollars at America’s economic crisis today, please have the foresight to invest in America’s tomorrow through its children. We implore you to invest in students and public schools, and meet the gravity of the moment with the extraordinary leadership America’s learners deserve.