Federal Assistance for Schools and Students in Poverty

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a growing injustice against millions of students throughout the country.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the largest source of Federal assistance for schools and students in poverty. These targeted formula grants are intended to combat the effects of poverty upon student achievement.

Unfortunately, the current formula has the perverse effect of diverting funds from the higher poverty school districts to more populous school districts that, in many instances, do not have high levels of poverty. This runs counter to congressional intent and negates the fact that poverty is poverty regardless of where it occurs.

To right this wrong, I have introduced H.R. 4565, the All Children are Equal Act, to ensure that all title I funds are distributed based on actual need and levels of poverty in a given school district.

No kid should be discriminated against based on their ZIP Code, and it is time for Congress to act and ensure no student gets left behind. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this commonsense measure to ensure all children are truly treated equally.

Mr. Speaker, I take personal privilege as chair of the Congressional Scouting Caucus to wish all those Scouts attending the 2023 National Jamboree a great experience.

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