Distributed via Email: August 1, 2013
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY ACT (ESEA) REAUTHORIZATION PASSES HOUSE
The Student Success Act (H.R. 5), with the IASB and National School Boards Association’s support, passed the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of July. It passed 221 to 207 on a partisan roll call. H.R. 5 is the House’s version of ESEA reauthorization, also known as No Child Left Behind. H.R. 5 is also the Republican version as the House is controlled by the Republicans versus the Senate which is controlled by Democrats.
Key provisions of the bill focus specifically on ensuring that the U.S. Department of Education does not encroach on local school board governance. It also provides states and local districts with the flexibility they need to create and implement innovative approaches to improve academic performance to prepare all students for post-secondary education or the workplace.
There are a few provisions in the legislation not favorable to districts, including an amendment that was adopted that would allow Title I portability (essentially vouchers). However, overall, the legislation represents a big step in the right direction.
The Senate/Democrats passed their ESEA reauthorization legislation out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee on June 12, but it has not been called for a vote before the full Senate yet.
E-RATE CHANGES PROPOSED
The most comprehensive call for modernization of the School and Libraries Universal Service Support mechanism (E-Rate) since it was enacted in 1996 began a few weeks ago. The E-Rate program is administered under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in the U.S. to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. In Fiscal Year 2012, E-Rate provided $2.2 billion in discounts for Internet access, telecommunications, internal connections and basic maintenance to more than 36,000 high-need school, school district, library and consortia applicants.
The FCC recently released a Fact Sheet and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), calling for comments on all aspects of the program. Comments could include goals and measures, funding and resources, equitable distribution of funds, shifting priorities to increase access to high speed Broadband, increasing cost effectiveness and transparency, and streamlining administration of the program. The deadline for comments is September 16. If you have any comments on the NPRM, please e-mail them to Susan Hilton at shilton@iasb.com.
This Federal Legislative Report is used to forward information on federal issues from NSBA and other federal sources. Those interested in additional information or signing up for these free reports should contact Susan Hilton .