WALZ LEADS FIGHT IN HOUSE TO RESTORE EDUCATION FUNDING TO RECOVERY PACKAGE

Says education funding is key to saving and creating jobs in local communities

For Immediate Release
February 11, 2009

Contact: Meredith Salsbery
507-388-2149

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congressman Walz continued the fight to restore crucial education funding in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Walz sent an urgent letter he authored to the leadership of the House of Representatives, asking them to restore education funding in the recovery package to the levels included in the House-passed bill. Walz’s letter was co-signed by 46 of his colleagues.

“Well-educated citizens are the backbone of a successful economy,” said Walz. “The House-passed recovery package included targeted investments in education that will help save and create thousands of jobs now, while also laying the foundation for our country’s future economic growth.”

“Modernizing our schools and colleges is a common-sense way we can quickly create jobs while helping our students get a 21st century education,” continued Walz.

“Giving our children a better learn environment, state of the art laboratories, and other upgraded facilities through fixing our school buildings, giving our low-income children a leg up through Title I funding, and giving our children with disabilities the assistance they deserve is not only the right thing to do for our local economies, but the right thing to do for future generations,” concluded Walz.

Walz said he believes that it is time to try a bottom-up approach to the economic recovery of our nation. He said that funding for Title I, state fiscal stabilization, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Head Start and school repairs and improvements is an approach to stabilizing our economy that will work because it restores confidence one parent, one neighborhood, one school district, one community at a time. This approach both saves jobs in our schools and creates construction jobs through school renovation projects.

Text of the letter follows below:

February 9, 2009

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi                                Minority Leader John Boehner
Office of the Speaker                                                    Office of the Minority Leader
H-232, US Capitol                                                          H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515                                                      Washington, DC 20515

Chairman David Obey                                                     Ranking Member Jerry Lewis
House Committee on Appropriations                                     House Committee on Appropriations
H-218 U.S. Capitol                                                         1016 Longworth Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515                                                    Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner, Chairman Obey, and Ranking Member Lewis:

As you work to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (HR 1), we urge you to maintain the House-passed funding levels for important education programs.

We believe that a recovery package is not only necessary, but critical to stopping the freefall of the American economy and we are committed to passing a recovery package as quickly as possible. However, were very troubled by the deep cuts in education funding in the Senate’s bill.

Funding for Title I, state fiscal stabilization, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), school renovation and construction, and Head Start is a sound approach to stabilize our economy. In many local school districts, the House-passed recovery package’s additional funding through Title I, state stabilization dollars, and IDEA will make up roughly half of their projected budget shortfall. To neighborhoods and communities all across the country, that means they can keep teachers, aides and other school employees on the job. This funding will therefore both save jobs that are at risk due to budget cuts and create new jobs through the construction and renovation of school buildings.

Just as important, these critical programs mean that our poorest, most disadvantaged children will have a chance at success and the foundations to be innovative and entrepreneurial in the years to come. Education funding in the recovery package not only helps us do right by these students, but also helps us keep our communities strong and stable. These funds will give all children a better learning environment through school repair and construction, help low-income children get a leg up through Title I funding, offer children with disabilities the assistance they deserve through IDEA and provide Head Start grants to help prepare kids for school. This is the right thing to do for our local economies and the right thing to do for future generations.

We respectfully request that you work in conference to maintain the House-passed funding levels for Title I, IDEA, state stabilization, and school construction funding.   Thank you for your continued work on behalf of our nation and this Congress.