Washington, D.C. — Today, Representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) voted against the Letting Students Down Act (H.R. 5), the Republican bill to reauthorize of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This bill would make drastic cuts to education funding, remove accountability provisions that ensure equity for all students, and reverse the progress made for students with learning disabilities over the past decade, jeopardizing their ability to graduate from high school, go to college and obtain employment.
“America’s education system should be one that provides our students with the means and resources to succeed, not one that sets them up to fail,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “Drastic cuts to education, including Title I funding and funding for English Language Learners, are bad for America and bad for Ventura County. Now more than ever, we need to strengthen education in America to ensure our country remains a leader in a rapidly growing, global economy.”
The Republican proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would
- cut funding by more than $1 billion next year;
- eliminate standards that ensure students graduate from high school and are college and career-ready;
- focus only on math and reading, without support for literacy, STEM, art, music, P.E., or other subjects that provide a well-rounded education;
- roll back protections for disadvantaged students and allow students with disabilities to be taught to separate, lower standards;
- eliminate protected funding for underserved groups such as English language learners, migrant students, Native students; and
- fail to support teachers and principals.
This legislation is opposed by a broad coalition representing parents, teachers, special education advocates, and the business community including the NEA, California Department of Education, American Federation of Teachers, American Association of University Women, Committee on Education Funding, National PTA, National Center for Learning Disabilities, Easter Seals, Consortium for Citizens for Disabilities, Disabilities Rights Education Defense Fund, Autism Society of America, Council for Exceptional Children, National Disabilities Rights Network, the Chamber of Commerce, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Center for American Progress Action Fund, and the National Council of La Raza.
Issues: 113th Congress, Education