: April 2009 |
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In This Issue
National PTA Chief Executive Officer, Byron Garrett, Testifies on Capitol Hill On March 31st, Byron V. Garrett, the PTA national CEO, testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry at a hearing titled, "Beyond Federal School Meal Programs: Reforming Nutrition for Kids in Schools." The hearing featured a panel of other child health and education organization representatives, as well as representatives from the food and beverage industry. Garrett cited several advocacy and legislative efforts that PTA has championed since its founding in 1897 and noted the organization's involvement in successfully including language mandating the creation of local school wellness policies in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. "I am aware that not all of the factors relevant to addressing child health fall under the purview of this committee. However, it is critical to approach child nutrition holistically and assess issues in the entire school foods environment," said Garrett. PTA's recommendations for the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act include:
Garrett's testimony focused primarily on the last recommendation listed. PTA is a strong supporter of the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act, which requires the USDA to update the nutrition standards for foods sold on school grounds outside of the School Lunch and Breakfast programs. You can read Garrett's testimony on PTA.org or watch a re-broadcast of the hearing on the committee's website.
PTA Members from Across U.S. Converge in DC for Training, Hill Visits On the first day of the conference, attendees were fortunate to hear a keynote address from Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund and a lifelong advocate for children. Attendees also heard from President Obama's Special Assistant for Education, Roberto Rodriguez, who shared the President's strategies to improve and reform education in America. To gear up for their Hill visits, attendees received training on PTA's 2009 legislative priorities and how to stay on message when meeting with members of Congress. This year's workshops, many of them lead by experts on PTA's staff, centered on public policy priorities and gave in-depth perspectives on the reauthorization of ESEA-NCLB, the Child Nutrition Act, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and funding for education in our current economy. During the awards luncheon on Capitol Hill, PTA honored a few members of Congress for their efforts to improve the health and well-being of all children. Both Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) received the Congressional Voice for Children Award, for work on juvenile justice and support of homeless children, respectively. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) received the National Congress of Parents and Teachers Founders Award for a lifetime of speaking up on behalf of at-risk youth and children with disabilities. During that same luncheon, PTA Outstanding Advocacy Awards were presented to California State PTA and Capistrano Unified Council of PTAs, and Kim Anderson was given the first-ever PTA Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year Award for her amazing leadership at the local level and her years of organizing a community of child advocates.
Save the Date for the 2010 PTA Legislative Conference: March 9-11, 2010! First Lady Michelle Obama Emphasizes PTA's Role in Supporting Military Families Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama visited soldiers and their families at North Carolina's Fort Bragg, where she told a group of community leaders that Americans need to reach out to members of the military. PTA is proud to have been mentioned in her address at the Fr. Bragg Community Center. First Lady Obama stated: "So I encourage everyone out there within the sound of my voice to reach out—to reach out on your own, through schools, the PTA, little leagues, churches, workplaces, and find out if there's a soldier or a soldier's family right there in your own community who needs a little extra support—because they are there. Something as simple as offering help with carpool duty can make the world of difference to a parent who is trying to hold the family together during a very stressful time." The First Lady has established a specific interest in the burdens facing military spouses and has underscored the plight of military families as one of her personal priorities during her husband's term in office. Read the First Lady's remarks.
Chairwoman McCarthy Opens Hearing by Highlighting PTA Priorities NY State PTA Meeting Stayed on Message, Got Results As part of the 2009 PTA National Legislative Conference in Washington DC, New York State PTA conducted a disciplined Hill meeting, staying on message with the PTA 2009 Public Policy Agenda and getting results. In her opening remarks before the joint subcommittee hearing, "Lost Educational Opportunities in Alternative Settings," on March 12, Chairwoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) of the House Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee referenced the meeting she had with New York State PTA prior to the hearing, stating: "[O]ne of the things on [PTA's] agenda [is] that a lot of young people [are] going into the juvenile justice system even just for truancy… Each of us sitting here knows the importance of education in a child's life. Unfortunately there is a whole population of students not receiving adequate education services, and there is little to no accountability." The chairwoman's remarks framed the rest of the hearing on challenges to providing quality education for at-risk youth in alternative education systems, such as juvenile justice facilities, certain foster care placements, and alternative education programs. The hearing was held in conjunction with Chairman Bobby Scott's (D-VA) House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee. Chairman Scott emphasized the problems with "zero tolerance" disciplinary policies, one of PTA's policy priorities under the Opportunity and Equity for All Children platform. The chairman stated that zero tolerance policies unnecessarily result in "school suspension, expulsion, and arrest for an increasing number of common student behaviors and rule violations."
PTA Highlighted in March 26th Politico Editorial on Education Reform PTA's outreach to the White House, Congress, federal agencies and the media is gaining momentum! The Politico, a respected daily political publication, posted an op-ed from Democratic Leadership Council Chairman Harold Ford, Jr. which referenced PTA's national advocacy power and potential in regards to enacting education reform. Below is an excerpt from the March 26th editorial. "With the financial support of the nation's leading charitable foundations, Parent Teacher Associations around the country could be transformed into a national grass-roots effort to advocate for reform of our schools. Patterned after the missionary zeal and political sophistication of the Children's Defense Fund, PTAs could be organized in school districts nationwide. Parents — motivated by wanting a world-class education for their children and being highly informed and organized — could bring persistent pressure to members of Congress to adopt an agenda of change to fix our failing schools."
FY 2009 Appropriations Boost Ed Funding On March 11, President Barack Obama signed into law the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, funding federal programs, including education, until September 30, 2009. This comes on the heels of the emergency stimulus funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, enacted in February. Nearly all federal education programs receive funding each year through appropriations. Federal education programs had been largely flat funded at 2008 levels through a continuing resolution, providing monies from October 2008 until March 2009. The Omnibus Appropriations Act slightly increased funding for Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) by 0.9 percent, or $346,000, above their 2008 funding level, to a total of $39.25 million for FY 2009. This is far short of the $86 million needed annually for PIRCs to effectively implement their expanded and critical role since their strategic reorganization in 2007. PTA asks all its members to urge Congress to increase funding for PIRCs to $86 million within the FY 2010 appropriations bill. Take action now! Contact your members of Congress today! Several other education programs received significant boosts. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- No Child Left Behind (ESEA-NCLB) Title I Grants received a 4 percent increase over their 2008 funding level, to a total of nearly $14.5 billion for FY 2009. Title I Grants assist states and school districts with high concentrations of students from low-income families. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Special Education State Grants received a 5 percent increase over their 2008 funding level, to a total of just over $11.5 billion. Title I School Improvement Grants, intended to help increase student achievement in underperforming schools, received an 11 percent increase over 2008 levels, growing to $0550 million. These funds are in addition to the stimulus' one-time infusion of $10 billion for Title I Grants, $11.3 billion for IDEA Special Education State Grants, and $3 billion for Title I School Improvement Grants.
U.S. Department of Education Releases Guidance on Funding in the Economic Recovery Package On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, including over $100 billion for education programs. Due to the vast amount of federal spending under this bill and the need for expedience in allocation of these funds, the U.S. Department of Education has released a great deal of information and guidance regarding the distribution of these funds. For more information, please visit U.S. Department of Education's website.
Congressional Committees Address Child Nutrition On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing entitled, "Improving Nutrition for America's Children in Difficult Economic Times." The panelists testifying included local food service personnel, researchers, and child health advocates. Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) made the following statement: "We must reorient our health care system so that it focuses on preventing diet-related illnesses and promoting good nutrition and wellness. As the witnesses in our last hearing outlined very clearly, USDA's child nutrition programs are a tremendous opportunity to make a lasting impact on the nutrition and eating habits of our children. A stronger, targeted investment in those programs must be part of a comprehensive federal response to poor nutrition among our children." Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the committee's ranking member, made the following comments: "As the Agriculture Committee moves forward in the reauthorization process, my goal is to ensure that all eligible children can easily access these important nutrition programs. I know from the school teachers in my family the importance of good nutrition. I applaud the dedication of school nutrition providers in their efforts to feed kids healthy meals, and recognize the very early and significant influence they have in developing good nutrition habits in schoolchildren." For additional information on this hearing, please visit the Senate Agriculture Committee's website. On Thursday, March 26, 2009, the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to review the state of obesity in the United States. Among the panelists were representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Dietetic Association, and the National Association for School Nurses. Following the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Joe Baca (D-CA-43) stated: "With its cost on America estimated somewhere in the $80 to $120 billion a year range, obesity is a problem we must address both for the health of our nation and for our long-term economic sustainability. Today's hearing provided an excellent opportunity to learn of the tremendous impact of obesity on America, and study the education and preventative steps we must incorporate as we move forward in our attempts to eliminate this disease." Subcommittee ranking member Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE-1) echoed Rep. Baca's sentiments, noting: "The increase in obesity nationwide has far-reaching effects in terms of public health and health care costs. I am very concerned by this trend, particularly among our children. Good nutrition, including a diet of fresh, locally-raised foods, can improve health outcomes and lower medical costs, a winning combination for American health care, sustainable agriculture, and strong local economies." For further information on this hearing, please visit the U.S. House Agriculture Committee's website.
House Committee on Education and Labor Holds Hearings on Early Childhood Development Following President Barack Obama's recent speech highlighting the importance of early childhood development, the House Education and Labor Committee held two hearings in March on the subject. The panelists in both House hearings testified to the importance of investing in high quality early education and child care opportunities for children from birth to age five. Panelists also discussed the wealth of data that shows that children who had access to early development programs between the ages of 0-5 had higher rates of graduating high school and a lower percentage of drug use. Panelists and members of Congress from both hearings made clear that while the initial cost of investing in early childhood development programs was high, the long-term rewards were much greater. Many members of Congress also agreed that a set of higher national standards needed to be in place for early childhood development programs to be as effective as possible. Education and Labor Subcommittee Chairman Dale Kildee (D-MI) stated at the March 19th "Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices" hearing: "And that is why I look forward to this committee working with the President to help parents and educators make the early years of children's lives nurturing and enriching. Because ensuring that children and their families have access to high-quality, comprehensive services that help the children develop cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally enables them to succeed in school and in life." For more information on these hearings, please see the House Education and Labor Committee website.
Senate Passes National Service Bill, Sends to House for Final Vote President Expected to Sign On March 26, the Senate overwhelmingly passed HR 1388 by a vote of 79-19, to reauthorize and expand the 1990 National and Community Service Act. The measure is now sent back to the House where it is expected to pass unchanged. The President is expected to sign the bill March 30. During Senate consideration, the bill's language was replaced by the text of the Senate version of the bill (S. 277), sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY), who managed the bill on the Senate floor, called the approved legislation "a fiscally responsible bill that will improve accountability, reduce bureaucracy and alumni waste international service programs." The measure, if fully funded, would more than triple the number of volunteers in national service programs, drawing from all generations of Americans. The bill would create several new service programs, such as an Education Corps aimed at improving student engagement and achievement and increasing graduation rates. Another initiative created under the new law would be Youth Engagement Zones. This federal program would aim to increase student achievement by funding innovative programs that engage students in solving community problems. Find more details on the bill on the Library of Congress website.
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