: PTA Takes Action Update — November 2009 |
ARRA Funding Update: Secretary Duncan Announces that Non-Profits are Eligible for Investing in Innovation Fund On October 6, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Department of Education's priorities for the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3 funds). The fund, which is part of the unprecedented investment in school reform included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), supports efforts to start or expand innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and increase positive outcomes for students. School districts or groups of schools, along with nonprofits partnering with a district or a consortium of schools, are eligible to apply for i3 funding. Nonprofits who wish to apply must identify the schools or Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with which they plan to work in their applications and describe their program and its potential impact on student achievement or other factors directly related to improving student outcomes. The Department will select grantees based on their application's alignment with the Administration's four priorities for reform—recruiting and retaining effective teachers and leaders, using data systems to support instruction, implementing high-quality standards and assessments, and turning around persistently low-performing schools—as well as those that address early childhood education, students with disabilities or limited English proficiency, college access and success, and rural districts. The monetary amount of each grant will be determined based on the level and quality of research supporting its effectiveness in closing achievement gaps. According to Secretary Duncan, "The i3 competition will provide seed money for fresh ideas, help grow promising programs with a good track record, and scale up programs with proven results to a national level." The release of the i3 Federal Register notice comes shortly after the release of two other notices regarding ARRA initiatives focused on school reform, the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund, and the $3 billion School Improvement Grants. Unlike the i3 fund, nonprofits cannot apply for these grants. Additional Resources Save the Date! 2010 National Legislative Conference On March 9–11, 2010, PTA will hold its annual National Legislative Conference in Washington DC. Please mark your calendars and save the date! On March 9–11, 2010, PTA will hold its annual National Legislative Conference in Washington DC. This three-day conference will inspire and provide in-depth analysis on PTA's latest federal public policy priorities affecting families, schools, and communities through skill-building trainings, workshops, panel discussions, guest speakers, and Capitol Hill visits. The Legislative Conference will offer workshops on topics such as Advocacy 101, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reauthorization, Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Applications for PTA's Outstanding Advocacy Awards for state and local advocacy and the Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year Award for federal advocacy are now available online. Award applications are due December 4, 2009. To nominate an advocate, please visit PTA's National Legislative Conference webpage. Award winners will be notified the week of January 10, 2010, and honored at the National Legislative Conference on March 11. Child Nutrition Programs Extended and Being Addressed With the ongoing debate over healthcare reform continuing to dominate the legislative schedule, major action on many of PTA's public policy priorities continue to be delayed in Congress. Among these priorities, the Child Nutrition Act was set to expire on September 30 of this year. However, the law was extended for another year as part of the Agriculture Appropriations bill, which included nearly $150 million in additional funding for programs under the Child Nutrition Act. On October 21, President Obama signed the Agriculture Appropriations bill into law, extending the Child Nutrition Act until September 30, 2010. Also passed as a part of this legislation were some significant improvements to the current law, including:
These investments and other child nutrition related efforts serve as evidence that momentum is building to support the essential programs under the Child Nutrition Act, particularly when put in the context of the many other child nutrition related efforts that are taking place. For instance, the $25 million for school kitchen equipment provided by the appropriation bill, referenced above, goes along with the $100 million that was dedicated to the same purpose in the economic stimulus package earlier this year. It is clear that this amount is not enough to renovate all school kitchens in order for them to be able to prepare and serve healthier food options. The initial $100 million investment was met with over $650 million in grant requests from all across the country. However, the ongoing provision of these funds shows that our nation's lawmakers understand that, in order to truly improve our school meals, it will require significant investment. Although the Child Nutrition Act has been extended for a full year, Congressional leadership has repeatedly stated that they will address the reauthorization of this law prior to the passage of next year's budget in the spring. There also has been other action on child health and nutrition. On October 8, the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing, "Examining Innovative Practices to Improve Child Nutrition." Further information on the hearing, including transcripts, can be found on the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor website. On October 21, the same day her husband signed the Agriculture Appropriations bill into law, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a Healthy Kids Fair on the South Lawn of the White House. Among the local school children and parents invited to participate were members of the Burleigh Manor Middle School PTA in Howard County, Maryland. The events included physical activities and healthy food tastings to go along with significant policy speeches by both the First Lady and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. A transcript of the First Lady's remarks can be found on the U.S. White House website. PTA is encouraged by the continued attention that is being paid by our nation's lawmakers to the critically important programs under the Child Nutrition Act. While we are disappointed that the reauthorization of this law was postponed, we are confident that Congress will address the matter in the coming months. Our federal government must spend the time and money necessary to ensure that our nation's children are provided the healthy, nutritious meals they need to flourish. For more information on PTA's recommendations on the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization and other public policy priorities, please consult the PTA 2009 Public Policy Agenda. Healthcare Reform Debate Continues with Public Option at its Center For the better part of the past six months, the United States Congress has been focused primarily on the many controversial and complicated aspects of reforming our nation's health care system. Though the outcome of this protracted process remains very much in question, there have been significant developments in recent days. On October 29, House Democrats introduced H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a bill that combines aspects of the three previous bills passed by the various committees in the House of Representatives. The House bill includes a new public health insurance option, specifically, Americans without employer-sponsored coverage would choose from options in a health insurance exchange in which private plans, health cooperatives, and a public option would be available. House Democrats claim this competition would drive down costs and increase effectiveness of all available health insurance coverage options. House Republicans believe that the public option would be an unfair competitor to private insurers. It is expected that no Republicans will support the legislation when it comes up for debate in November. A brief summary of the bill can be found on PBS's website. Meanwhile in the Senate, work continues on developing a final healthcare reform measure to reconcile the two versions passed by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Senate Finance Committee. Although a final measure has not been released, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced October 26, that the Senate's final health bill will include a public option that would allow states to opt out of it.
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