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John,
Public education is the bedrock of our society and it’s currently crumbling.
In 2020, school enrollment crashed to its lowest level since 1943.1 This drop directly impacts funding for public schools, student performance, and the prospect that many children will be left behind. And at the same time, schools are having difficulty hiring and retaining qualified teachers and support staff.
We are failing our students, as evidenced by the decline in test scores after the pandemic. These young people are the future of our society and economy, and if we don’t make up for lost ground, societal and racial income gaps are only going to increase.
We need adequate federal investments in public education―especially in rural and low-income communities. Join us in demanding Congress increase education funding now!
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. President Biden’s FY2023 budget for the Department of Education calls for a historic $40 billion investment in public school funding to strengthen children’s mental health care, invest in low-income, rural and urban communities, increase special education funding, teacher training, integrated supports, and provide free school meals.
This is a historic investment that is coming at a critical time. Please click the link to write to your members of Congress to encourage them to support the necessary funding.
Children have been deeply affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in numerous ways. It’s time we start investing in them and their recovery.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs
1 https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-enrollment-crashed-in-fall-2020-the-steepest-drop-since-1943/2022/06
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