John,

When school enrollment crashed during the coronavirus pandemic to its lowest level since 1943,¹ it directly impacted funding for public schools. This led to lower student performance, increasing the chances that many children would be left behind. While schools are working hard to bounce back, and new research shows that added funding improved outcomes for children,² schools continue to have difficulty hiring and retaining qualified teachers and support staff.

Public education is the bedrock of our society, but―if right-wing extremists in Congress have their way―it risks crumbling to pieces while exacerbating racial and economic inequality.

The House Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, introduced today, proposes to cut education spending by at least 13% below the current FY2024 level, including slashing Title 1 funding to support K-12 schools serving children in low-income families by 25%.³ This bill would also eliminate a program teaching English to non-English speakers, reduce funding for school-based mental health services, and cut funding for the college work study program in half.

Low- and middle-income families are feeling the pain from all sides and the last thing needed are cuts to public education and financial aid programs.

Send a direct message to your representative demanding they reject drastic cuts to education funding.

Tight budget controls have severely constricted education funding for years. As a result, ongoing education programs receive $7 billion less than they did a decade ago in inflation-adjusted terms.⁴ Test scores in lower-income communities still have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, although extra funding now about to expire did help improve student achievement. Young people are the future of our society and economy, and if we don’t make up for lost ground, societal, racial, and income gaps are only going to increase.

We cannot allow these unnecessary, draconian cuts to our children’s education to pass.

Send a message to your representative today to urge them to reject cuts to education.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ School Enrollment Crashed in Fall 2020, the Steepest Drop Since 1943
² National Public Radio news story about benefits of increased education spending for low income students
³ Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Subcommittee Mark Summary
⁴ National Education Association, Federal Legislative Annual Report