Letter to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of House, Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the House, Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader of the Senate - Wilson Calls on House Leadership to Include More than $200 Billion in Public School Funding in Next COVID-19 Relief Package

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Schumer:

We write to urge you to include vital funding for our nation's school systems. As you know the coronavirus pandemic has taken a staggering emotional, health and economic toll. The loss of state and local tax revenues that would normally be earmarked for school funding will have a devastating impact on our school districts' ability to recover and do the important work of educating our children.

Importantly, schools have taken on additional unbudgeted, but necessary, functions that have been critical during this pandemic. They have become feeding centers, distance learning innovators and pivot points around which we are closing the digital divide for our most vulnerable populations.

In light of the new functions that our schools must now perform, we ask that the next Covid-19 funding package include an additional federal allocation of $175 billion in Educational Stabilization Funds to be distributed at the local level through the Title I formula. We also urge Congress to provide an additional $13 billion for IDEA, $12 billion in additional Title I program funding, $2 billion for E-Rate, and emergency infrastructure funds that include public schools.

Allocating $13.5 billion in the CARES Act provided critical funding during very difficult times. However, a second, substantially larger installment for public school systems is incredibly important to further the progress that we have made to keep our schools open and financially healthy during these perilous times.

With additional federal funds, America's public schools will be able to administer summer school, expand the school day after reopening in the fall, retain and stabilize our teaching force, address the needs of our most vulnerable students, narrow the digital divide, and have a fighting chance to salvage the futures of millions of young people.

We hope you recognize the importance of this investment in the nation's public schools and work to ensure that the nation remains strong in the aftermath of this global crisis.

Frederica S. Wilson
Member of Congress

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