Rural Schools Funding is Left Behind (12/21/2007)

Rural school funding once again fell victim to party politics in Washington. Lawmakers were proposing a long-term extension of the rural school funding, also known as county payments, as part of H.R. 6, the Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN Energy) Act. Congress sent the bill to the President this week, but the proposed extension was one of many provisions set aside to ensure a majority of support for the various other energy provisions. Congress, once again, chose to abandon a long term expansion for the sake of other, higher-priority issues.

The county payment program provides funding for more than 700 counties in forty-one states for operating schools in hard to reach rural areas. California, Oregon and Washington are the biggest beneficiaries of the program, a point which has drawn some ire from the other 38 states who participate. Congressional leaders created a new proposal that would restructure the funding formula, directing funding to the neediest counties. However, because rural school districts in the big three states depend heavily on the government funds, the new proposal includes a transition period that will slowly redistribute the funding, in hopes of preventing a hard financial hit to districts that currently receive more funding than they would under the new formula. The extension would have run through 2011.

Unfortunately, Republican opposition to a number of tax provisions within the bill stalled the progress. In order to gain additional support for a cloture vote in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid had many of the tax and other spending provisions removed from the bill. The Senate then passed the bill and sent it to the House for final approval. The House voted 314-100 on Tuesday to agree to the Senate version of the bill and send it to the President.

As such, the rural school funding that was authorized in the fiscal year 2007 continuing resolution, which has already expired, has not been renewed. This lack of funding will leave many rural school districts in financial crises by the spring. As was the case last year, if funding is not restored, a number of rural districts will have to either begin laying off employees, or shut down altogether.

Resources:
Geof Koss “House Sends Energy Bill to President's Desk,” Congress Now, December 18, 2007.
Author: SAS

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Rural Schools Funding In Danger Again

Rural school funding is becoming an issue once again as Congress winds down for the year. Last year, Congress labored on various proposals to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act, also referred to simply as county payments. In lieu of a long-term proposal, Congress passed a brief one-year extension of the program. Congress is now working on a three-year proposal, but is hitting a few roadblocks along the way.



The county payment program provides funding for more than 700 counties in forty-one states for operating schools in hard to reach rural areas. California, Oregon and Washington are the biggest beneficiaries of the program, a point which has drawn some ire from the other 38 states who participate. Congressional leaders have created a new proposal that would restructure the funding formula, directing funding to the neediest counties. However, because rural school districts in the big three states depend heavily on the government funds, the new proposal includes a transition period that will slowly redistribute the funding, in hopes of preventing a hard financial hit to districts that currently receive more funding than they will under the new formula. The extension would run through 2011.

The proposal is part of H.R. 6, the Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN Energy) Act. The House passed the bill last January, and the Senate initially passed its version in June. Currently, the House has signed off on certain Senate changes, but the bill has to get through the Senate a final time before it can move forward. Yesterday, even after a failed cloture vote in the morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NY) was able to get the bill through by a vote of 86-8, after dropping certain provisions that Republicans opposed. So, because of the changes Reid was forced to make, the bill will head back to the House next week before it can be sent to the President.

Resources:
Sarah D. Sparks, “Rural School Support Hangs on Energy Bill,” Education Daily, December 14, 2007.
Geof Koss, “Pared-Back Energy Bill Clears Senate,” Congress Now, December 13, 2007.
Author: SAS

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NPR : Rural Schools Affected By Battle over Bush Plan

NPR : Rural Schools Affected By Battle over Bush Plan: "Rural schools in California are facing a crisis because of a fight over President Bush's plan to sell $800 million worth of national forest.

Many rural schools get a huge portion of their budget from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, which expired last year. Bush proposed selling 300,000 acres of national forests as a way of funding and renewing this Rural Schools Act, but that proposal was defeated. It's now back, as part of the president's recently released budget, and the White House is withholding that funding for rural school districts unless the forest sale goes through."

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