Leading Education Associations Urge Federal Hurricane Relief and Reconstruction Funds for Districts and Schools

Contact: Claus von Zastrow, Learning First Alliance, 202 296-5520 x13

Washington, DC – September 19, 2005 – The Learning First Alliance – a permanent partnership of 11 leading education associations with more than 10 million combined members – has called on the White House and Congress to provide full federal funding specifically for the unprecedented needs of schools and students affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Alliance Letter also urges the federal government to be flexible in applying federal regulations that affect educators’ ability to address these needs most effectively.

The Alliance letter commends President Bush for his pledge to work with Congress to offer federal assistance for rebuilding schools and educating displaced students, but it calls on the President and Congress to ensure that this assistance is immediate, sufficient to cover the enormous costs of relief and reconstruction, and specifically set aside to meet the needs of districts, schools, school staff, and students affected by the disaster.

In the letter, the Alliance offers to collaborate with the President, Congress, and Education Secretary Spellings in their efforts to serve communities in need.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

The Learning First Alliance (LFA), a permanent partnership of 11 leading education associations with more than 10 million combined members, is deeply concerned about the well-being of the children and families whose lives have been upended by Hurricane Katrina. Across the country, educators and community members represented by Alliance organizations have welcomed displaced students into their districts and schools, supported school employees whose livelihoods have disappeared overnight, and raised money to help schools and communities rebuild.

Still, at a time when state and local revenue sources are severely strained by the effects of this unprecedented disaster, districts and schools urgently need enough federal help to ensure that all affected students receive excellent instruction in stable and well-equipped schools.

LFA is encouraged by President Bush’s pledge to work with Congress to provide federal assistance for rebuilding schools and educating displaced students, and we applaud Congress for acting quickly to provide emergency funding to areas devastated by the hurricane. We are also grateful to Education Secretary Spellings for including LFA and its member organizations in early discussions of how the education community can best serve students and families in dire need of help. Yet the sheer magnitude of the damage to school systems throughout the Gulf Coast area demands that the federal government specifically set aside substantial funds both to help schools cope with the immediate needs of displaced children, and to rebuild the schools and districts the hurricane has destroyed.

LFA urges the federal government to make these funds available as soon as possible; to ensure that they be generous enough to address the enormous short- and long-term needs of children, schools, and school staff; and to guarantee that that they not be diverted for other purposes. LFA requests:

Immediate financial support for school districts that have been hit by Hurricane Katrina. Facing the sudden loss of local jobs or even entire communities, districts devastated by the hurricane have also lost their tax base. Without immediate and substantial federal funds, such districts can do little to sustain or re-establish their operations.
Immediate financial support for school districts welcoming displaced children and families from hurricane-ravaged areas. To accommodate hundreds or sometimes thousands of new students, some districts require extra teachers, temporary classrooms, and additional instructional materials. In addition, they must bear the added and unanticipated costs of coordinating their efforts with other agencies that provide services to children and families displaced by the hurricane.
Long-term financial support to cover the enormous capital expenses of repairing and rebuilding schools and entire district infrastructures. The lingering economic effects of the disaster, such as depressed property values in affected areas, can only diminish the amount of tax revenue available for this work.

Gulf states hit hard by Hurricane Katrina may not be able to compensate for local budgetary shortfalls, because they will almost certainly face considerable drains on their state budgets in the aftermath of the disaster. The total cost of hurricane relief and rebuilding will be unprecedented. Full federal support for students and schools in need is therefore essential.

LFA also urges flexibility in the application of federal regulations that affect educators’ ability to meet the pressing needs of children and families impacted by the hurricane. Hundreds of thousands of children have already experienced a traumatic disruption in their lives. We earnestly hope that the federal government will do all it can to guarantee these children secure and vital learning environments through the coming months and years.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent request. We look forward to collaborating with you in your efforts to serve communities in need, and to advising you on the amount of federal funding required to address the needs of affected students, schools, and school staff. As you may be aware, several of our organizations are working with Congress and the Department of Education on a variety of ways to assist our schools. Feel free to contact any of us individually about these efforts. In addition, should you have any questions or comments, please contact LFA interim executive director Claus von Zastrow at (202) 296-5220 or vonzastrowc@learningfirst.org.

Sincerely,

Antonia C. Cortese
Executive Vice President
The American Federation of Teachers
Chair
The Learning First Alliance

Sharon P. Robinson
President and CEO
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Paul D. Houston
Executive Director
The American Association of School Administrators

G. Thomas Houlihan
Executive Director
The Council of Chief State School Officers

Vincent L. Ferrandino
Executive Director
The National Association of Elementary School Principals

Gerald N. Tirozzi
Executive Director
The National Association of Secondary School Principals

Brenda Lilienthal Welburn
Executive Director
National Association of State Boards of Education

John Wilson
Executive Director
National Education Association

Warlene D. Gary
Chief Executive Officer
National PTA

Anne L. Bryant
Executive Director
National School Boards Association

The Learning First Alliance, founded in 1997, is a permanent partnership of leading education organizations working together to improve student learning. The Alliance members are: the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council of Chief State School Officers, Education Commission of the States, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Education Association, National PTA and the National School Boards Association. Learning First Alliance publications are available on this website.