NASSP Releases Priorities for Federal Policymakers

Next week, a new Congress and president of the United States take office. A flurry of activity is expected in the first 100 days and beyond as President-elect Joe Biden attempts to make his mark on the national policy landscape. It’s urgent that he and the 117th Congress act quickly to protect schools, educators, and students, and provide emergency assistance so that effective learning can continue during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. School leaders are doing everything they can, but they can’t do it alone.

To clearly communicate the most immediate collective priorities of K–12 school leaders to federal policymakers, the NASSP Policy & Advocacy Center has developed a 2021 federal policy agenda. The list of priorities represents a bold vision to not only provide relief and assistance schools need now to withstand the pandemic, but also to strengthen the future of education, provide more equitable learning environments for each student, improve school safety, and bolster the school leader and other educator professions.

The strength of this policy statement is only as great as the number of school leaders who back it—which is why we are asking all school leaders to sign this petition endorsing the 2021 NASSP federal policy agenda. In the coming weeks, NASSP will deliver the agenda and the list of endorsers to members of Congress, the Department of Education, the White House, and other stakeholders. Add your name today!

THIS MONTH’S TOP ADVOCACY ISSUES

Congress Passes COVID-19 Relief Package with $82 Billion for K–12 Schools

After months of deliberation, Congress finally reached a consensus on additional desperately needed COVID-19 relief funding in the form of a $900 billion stimulus package passed late last month. The bill included $54 billion in assistance for K–12 schools, which is welcome relief that will provide the resources educators need to keep schools safe and continue learning during the pandemic. It will also serve to offset some of the steep education budget cuts that are expected over the next few years as states and districts take large tax revenue hits stemming from the pandemic’s widespread economic impact.

Unfortunately, the $54 billion provided in the December stimulus falls far short of the $175 billion figure that NASSP and other national education organizations have said is needed. Advocates continue to stress that additional action from Congress will be required if schools are going to be able to withstand the difficult months ahead.

“The $54 billion earmarked for K–12 relief is a start, maybe a down payment, but it is woefully inadequate as the final word on COVID relief for schools,” NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe said in a statement. “Conditions will be even worse than 2009. Budgets are shrinking while needs are expanding from the pandemic. Schools need funding not just to stabilize budgets shaken by local economies, but to accelerate learning after the pandemic. Unless Congress gets serious for the long term about supporting their own public schools, we’ll be cutting into bone—fewer teachers, larger classes, and less social support for kids at precisely their time of greatest need.”

Nozoe also expressed frustration with the failure of Congress to fund the Federal Communication Commission’s E-Rate program so that it could provide home internet access for students.

“The pandemic exposed the digital inequities among our students. Sufficient, reliable broadband and device access is an essential condition for high-quality education. Zeroing out E-Rate still regards that access as a luxury.”

In conjunction with the stimulus, Congress also passed the FY 2021 appropriations omnibus to fund the federal government, narrowly averting a government shutdown. For more on NASSP’s advocacy and education funding in both the stimulus bill and appropriations package, read the latest post in the School of Thought blog.

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