DeLauro Calls for Greater Federal Investment in Education

Discusses Administration's Budget with SecretaryDuncan

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), RankingMember on the Labor, Education, Health and Human Services AppropriationsSubcommittee, today called for greater federal investment in education. Herremarks took place at the Subcommittee's hearing on the 2014 Department ofEducation budget, with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

DeLauro also pressed Duncan, and her colleagues, on theeffect the deeply harmful, indiscriminate cuts known as sequestration will haveon education. The sequester cuts have slashed $2.5 billion from educationprograms, on top of the erosion of funding over the past 10 years. Since 2002,after excluding Pell Grants, per-capita and inflation adjusted discretionaryspending at the Education Department has been cut by $7.5 billion, or over 14percent.

The below remarks are as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Mr. Secretary,for joining us today. You are a tireless advocate for public education, and itis always a pleasure to spend time with you.

Everyone in this room knows that broad access to educationis crucial to the proper functioning of our American democracy. Only bydelivering quality education for all our citizens – from the earliest years tothe college years –can we ensure freedom, equality, and social mobility; tomake opportunity real for each and every American, and continue to lead theworld to economic security and lasting prosperity.

Especially in this tough economy, families turn to educationbecause they know that's the future for them and for the country. That's thedeal in America. And without broad access to education, there is no middleclass in this nation. The compact is broken that allows hard work to pay offand future generations to be able to do better.

And yet, despite all this, our federal support for educationhas not kept pace with population growth and inflation over the past decade.

As of last year, when you exclude Pell Grants, per-capitaand inflation adjusted discretionary spending at the Department of Educationhas been cut by approximately 14.2%, or $7.5 billion, that's since 2002. Let me be clear – That reduction was in place even before the sequester wasimplemented. This has happened even as the number of children living in povertygrew from 16.3 percent to almost 22 percent over the last decade.

And now, we have deep, indiscriminate cuts known as thesequester that have slashed an additional $2.5 billion from education programs.Just a couple of examples: Sequestration cuts $730 million from Title I, $580million from IDEA, and $58 million from afterschool programs, and the list couldgo on and on.

What does this mean? It means that millions of disadvantagedstudents will suffer from reduced educational services. It means federalsupport diminishes for hundreds of thousands of children with specialneeds. It means 86,000 students will lose access to after-school andsummer school programs. Again here I could go on all day.

The states, unfortunately, are not in a position to take upthis slack. In fact, per pupil spending has been reduced below 2008 levels in37 states, all across the country.

Sadly, in this environment, I believe and it's my view theHouse Majority has insisted we drive down federal investment in education.Since this Majority took control of the House in 2011, 44 federal educationprograms, totaling more than $1.1 billion, have been completelyterminated.

Their education appropriations bill last year tried to cutan additional $1.2 billion from Education and eliminate even more programs,including School Improvement Grants, Investing in Innovation, and Mathematics& Science Partnerships.

And their 2014 budget from just last month tries to cuteducation programs by 20 percent. It's wrong. It doesn't make sense to rollback our critical investments in education, particularly at this delicateeconomic moment.

Now, turning to the budget put forward by the president.From a top-line view, I am delighted to see increased investment made towardfurthering both access to, and the quality of, public education. I'm glad tosee this proposal reverses the sequestration cuts, and funds some programsabove the fiscal year 2013 pre-sequester level.

I regret that the current budget environment does not allowfor the much needed increases to Title I and IDEA that I think we can all agreeare necessary.

That being said, this budget proposal does includes awelcome expansion of high quality early childhood education, which studies showtime and again is a wise investment in our national economy that will producereturns for children, for families, and for our entire country.

I am also very supportive of the President's school safetyinitiative, which, among other things, helps schools develop and implementemergency preparedness plans and create safer and more nurturing environments.

I am thrilled that this budget request increased the PromiseNeighborhoods Program by 400%, it helps more children and communities overcomethe challenges of poverty. I am also pleased to see this budget requestsa nine percent, or $100 million, increase for the 21st Century CommunityLearning Centers.

Mr. Secretary, you know some of my concerns in this area, Iam concerned that the Department's policies seem to place an emphasis onextended learning time programs over traditional after school programs, whichis not what Congress authorized this program to do. I am concerned thatthis particular request eliminates the current formula funding to states, infavor of a national competition.

The emphasis on competitive funding I find troubling. Whilethe overall request increases education spending by 4.5 percent over the 2012level, most of the increases are to competitive grants. And oftentimescompetitive funding seems to reward a state's grant-writing ability rather thanits actual school system. My view what is needed is steady, securefunding for all our schools to move towards improvement.

If we want to create jobs, grow the economy, we have to workto ensure educational opportunity for all. And that means recognizing theprofound impact that poverty has on learning, investing in early childhoodeducation and afterschool programs, and ensuring that kids have access to goodnutrition, good health, and good counseling.

Education is the great equalizer in American life. It opensdoors of opportunity to jobs, higher wages, and a better life. I hope todaythat we can discuss how best to ensure all of our students have access to theseopportunities. I thank you, and I look forward to your testimony.