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Teach For America Statement On The Trump Administration’s FY19 Budget Proposal Teach For America Statement On The Trump Administration’s FY19 Budget Proposal

Teach For America today released the following statement on the announcement of the Trump administration’s FY19 budget

NEW YORK, February 12, 2018—Teach For America today released the following statement on the announcement of the Trump administration’s FY19 budget:

“The Trump administration’s budget proposal includes more than $3.6 billion in cuts to the Department of Education and the elimination of funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Proposed cuts include programs designed to provide crucial training for teachers, to support evidence-based approaches to improving students’ academic outcomes, and to reduce the financial burden on students pursuing higher education and careers in education.

We are disappointed that the proposed FY19 budget once again eliminates the CNCS—the agency that runs AmeriCorps and other essential national service programs. AmeriCorps programs have been found to improve school readiness, increase reading and math achievement, improve school attendance and behavior, and increase access to college. For every dollar the federal government invests in national service, there is a nearly four-dollar return on investment. Additionally, AmeriCorps Education Awards reduce the financial barriers to service, enabling Teach For America and other organizations to provide a route to national service for a diverse group of individuals. Both the House and the Senate rejected funding cuts to national service in the past, and should do so again this year.

At Teach For America, we believe that every child deserves an equitable and excellent education, and we supported the 2015 bipartisan reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act. This law in its opening lines states that a key purpose and intent is ‘to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.’ If enacted, the cuts in the administration’s proposed budget would hinder our nation’s ability to provide every child the education and support they need to get to and through college.

For example, years of research have demonstrated that the most important school-based factor in students’ academic achievement is the effectiveness of a teacher. Yet this budget proposal would eliminate both the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program and Title IIA grants— two federal programs designed to train high-quality and effective teachers. We also know that cuts that limit access to financial aid programs like loan forgiveness or Pell Grants, work study, or college preparation programs have an outsized impact on students of color and those from low-income communities.

This proposed budget falls short on the commitment needed to ensure a path to success for all of our nation’s children. We urge Congress to work in a bipartisan way to enact a fiscally responsible budget that strengthens America’s commitment to equity and access to education and national service opportunities.”

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with urban and rural communities in more than 50 regions across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today Teach For America is a force of 56,000 alumni and corps members committed to profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they’re reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, to grow, to influence and to lead. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact

Danielle Montoya

646.761.2681

danielle.montoya@teachforamerica.org