1. Aesa Federal Education Update
Sasha pudelski Chris rogers
September 2019

2. Overview

3. Advocacy is all about relationships
Relationships matter; relationships take time.
Congressional staffers range from experts to novices
Be confident that you are an important constituent. You are an education expert; you know your schools and your community.

4. It’s a marathon – not a sprint
Reach out often – not just when you need something
Once a month – try our 2019 Year of Superintendent Advocacy Challenge

5. When you have meetings, they may be with your member of Congress, but they may just be with their education staffer
The education staffer often knows more about our issues than the member
Congressional offices are crowded – your meeting may be in the reception or hallway – that doesn’t mean they don’t take you seriously, so don’t be insulted

6. YOU are the expert in the room
Be sure to share information about your district, schools, and the great work being done
Be honest in how a policy is or would affect your schools
If you have questions, be sure to ask

7. Advocacy is not a one-time thing – be sure to follow up often
After your meeting, follow up with the staffer – promise them some information or a resource and send it along
Don’t just be in touch if they sky is falling. Constant communication keeps you on their mind.
Invite your member of Congress to your district – have the photo op with your kids and school

8. Edu-Policy 101 Authorizing Statutes Every Student Succeeds Act
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Higher Education Act
Carl D. Perkins Career & Technical Education Act
Head Start/Childcare Development Block Grants
Russell School Nutrition Program
Others that aren’t necessarily ‘education’: Farm Bill, Affordable Care Act, Telecommunications Act, etc…..

9. Edu-Policy 101
AESA Advocacy engages with all three branches of the federal government:
Legislative
Approps
School safety
Child nutrition
Judicial
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Administrative
IRS regulations
Public charge regulations

10. Fy19 funding (19/20 school year)
The final bill provided a $581m increase in funding for USED, bringing the total to nearly $71.5 billion.
The bill rejected the Trump administration’s proposals to fund vouchers and privatization priorities, as well as proposed program eliminations and the proposal to consolidate USED with the Department of Labor.
Tracking a few key programs, here are some that received increases
Title I, $100m;
Title II I is level funded;
IDEA, $87m
Title IV, $70m
21st Century, $10m
Impact Aid, $32m
Perkins Career & Technical Education, $95m; and
Head Start, $200 m

11. FY 20 (for 20/21 school year)
President Trump released his FY20 budget on March 11. It is built on a premise of cuts to non-defense discretionary funding. It is described as ‘dead on arrival’ and ‘non-starter’, with Congress expected to do their own work.
Eliminates 29 education programs (incl. Title II and IV), and cuts edu by more than $8b (10%),but has $5b for a new tax credit voucher program.
Congress reached a caps deal in August, but negotiations are ongoing and above our punching weight.
House-passed approps bill exceeds caps and provides an increase of $4b to education,
Senate process has broken down over funding levels. GOP only wants 1% increase to ED (compared to 10% increase proposed in House bill) IDEA and Title I will be level-funded.
House is moving on a CR this week. Threat of shutdown for FY20, and safe path for edu is anything but certain.

12. Meanwhile, Over at USED We are on the look out for:
ESSA Fiscal Transparency Guidance
Title IX Regulation
Recently Released
School Safety Commission Recommendations
School Discipline Guidance decision
Supplement, Not Supplant (proposed guidance)
Equitable Services interpretation
ESSA Report on Title I Equity

13. Medicaid and mental health services
AESA looking to advance bill that would reduce administrative obstacles to billing Medicaid called The Improving Medicaid in Schools Act
STOP treating school districts like they are hospitals and clinics
Small and rural districts much less likely to participate in Medicaid due to 1) inability to take on the administrative and compliance related paperwork, 2) inability to find a qualified healthcare provider for provision of services and 3) inability to afford a third-party biller to handle paperwork.
AASA solution: use one uniform claiming methodology (a cost report) for both direct service and admin claiming.
Desired outcome: By streamlining the Medicaid program paperwork to ensure districts of all sizes can capacities can participate in the program and guarantee more equitable participation in Medicaid program by rural/small districts.

14. Public charge regulation- effective October 15th
What is it? A public charge is a term used by U.S. immigration officials to refer to a person who is considered primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.
Who does the regulation impact? Children in mixed-status families where one family member may not have a green card but is here legally on a visa.
How does it impact them? Intended to disrupt access to federal healthcare, food and housing programs.
What is the goal? To deter people from accessing public benefits.
How it might play out in your district:
Parent may not consent to Medicaid services
Child may not have access to SNAP benefits during nights/weekends
Child may lose affordable housing and become homeless
Note: Accessing public benefits by a family member will not impact a person’s public charge determination.

15. FCC: THE BATTLE OVER E-RATE
E-Rate is the fourth largest stream of federal support in the nation’s public schools
A recent proposal from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai (Republican), would place limits on the amount of money the E-Rate program could make available to support school and library efforts to improve internet access. The FCC's proposal would set a cap for the overall USF. The proposed cap is nearly $2 billion above current levels. Specific to E-Rate, the proposal would pair E-Rate with Rural Health Care under a single cap.
Even if connectivity prices continue to fall, the reality of increasing demand and skyrocketing costs with Rural Health Care create a scenario whereby USF programs are pitted against each other, with rural schools competing with rural health care for connectivity needs. This should not be an “either, or” funding approach
This establishes a troubling precedent of one program taking from another that may lead to a permanent change in the E-Rate’s cap level
Talk to your representatives and senators about the importance of the E-Rate program and how much more you can accomplish with the program in its current format and at its current funding level.

16. Forest Counties
The 115th Congress funded the SRS program for the short term, which extended SRS funding for fiscal year (FY) 2017–2018.  The short-term FY 17–18 SRS funding that provided financial support for the disintegrating SRS safety net and served 9 million students and county citizens in 4,400 school districts in 775 forest counties in 41 states, has now expired.
This year Congress must act to ensure funding for FY20, and retroactively for FY19, via the annual appropriations process.
AESA supports action this year on the 2 year short term bill funding SRS for FY 2019 and FY 2020, to extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (S. 430, H.R. 3048) sponsored in the Senate by Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Wyden (D-OR) and in the House by Representatives Neguse (D-CO) and McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
AESA supports action on long term SRS funding by supporting the Forest Management for Rural Stability Act S sponsored by Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Wyden (D-OR) to establish a trust fund providing long term funding and stability for the Secure Rural Schools program.

17. Infrastructure
2 goals: 1) ensure that the nation’s public schools have an explicit path of engagement and support in any broader infrastructure package and 2) to address tax extenders, school construction, and tax credit bonds.
Our nation’s public schools are one of the oldest and largest forms of public infrastructure in the U.S., and as such, any plan coming out of Congress must include an explicit provision to support school
Ask your senators and representatives to support efforts to reinstate QZABs as part of a broader tax extenders package. In the House, the bill to advocate support for is H.R. 3301, the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019.
Ask all your elected officials to sign on to the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (H.R. 865 / S. 266) which would fund  $70 billion in grants and $30 billion in bonds to help address critical physical and digital infrastructure needs in schools across the country.

18. Higher Education reauthorization
Earlier this year all eye all eyes were on Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) as they worked towards reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Thus far, negations have stalled.
In the House, now under Democratic leadership, it’s also unclear whether Democrats want to work with Republicans to pass a bipartisan HEA. Before the August Recess, the House ED and Labor Committee held 2 separate hearings on Higher Ed in the. Our intel suggest that the DEMS want to introduce a Bill for Markup before Halloween, but it’s yet to be seen whether it’ll garner any bipartisan support. Remember that the 115th session of Congress’ PROSPER (Republican) and AIM HIGHER (Democrat) acts were very different.
AESA endorsed the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act, which offers Congress a practical approach for updating Title II of HEA by supporting TEACH grants and the PSLF program.
Other HEA PRIORITIES
support programs that assist and develop students entering and completing college and post-secondary programs
Maintain 2001 Title IX Guidance to ensure each and every student has a safe and healthy learning environment

19. School nutrition
Senate Agriculture (AG) Committee is in the process of reauthorizing the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. They have yet to introduce priorities or an official release date for the bill. We are optimistic the Senate bill will exclude provisions that give us pause. The Mark-up for the bill is set for this fall.
This summer, USDA released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that will the Categorical Eligibility Program. More than 500,000 students will lose their automatic eligibility for free school meals as a result of the change.
AESA Priorities for Child Nutrition Reauthorization:
(1) Return to a Five-Year Administrative Review Cycle,
(2) modify the Smart Snacks in Schools Rule
(3) increase USDA Foods (Commodities) support for the School Breakfast Program, and
(4) oppose any effort to block grant the School Meals Programs

20. AESA Federal Advocacy ESSA School Nutrition Perkins Career/Tech IDEA
Rural Education (REAP, Forest Counties, Impact Aid)
School Vouchers
E-Rate/Lifeline/EBS
Student Data & Privacy
Medicaid/CHIP
Higher Education Act
Early Education
Affordable Care Act
Regulations: DoL and EPA
Immigration / DACA
Taxes

21. Get Involved, Stay Engaged!
Legislative Team on Twitter
PEP Talk Podcast
AASA Policy Blog, The Leading Edge
Weekly & Monthly Updates
Websites & Newsletters
EdWeek
Politics K12
Morning Education (Politico)
Real Clear Education
Cabinet Report

22. Questions? Noelle Ellerson Ng nellerson@aasa.org @Noellerson
Sasha Pudelski
@SPudelski
Chris Rogers
@CXRogers16