After the accountability and dashboard amendments failed to pass the Senate Wednesday, Democrats will try to push one of their last major priorities — the universal pre-K amendment to the Senate’s big education bill, named the “Strong Start for America’s Children Amendment,” offered by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) on Thursday. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) has stated her support for the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
According to Casey’s office, $30 billion would be distributed through block grant funding and would go to 4-year-olds from low-income families, or families who earn $48,000 for a family of four. States that provide high-quality universal pre-K to 4-year-olds already could extend their programs to 3-year-olds. States receiving that funding would provide subgrants to school districts, licensed child care settings and Head Start programs that must live up to certain quality standards. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) had a problem with the way the amendment would fund pre-K, which would happen through closing a corporate inversions loophole.
“Making sure all of our children have access to high quality early education, requiring states to align early learning with K-12 education and helping elementary schools work together so there is a successful continuity over time — that’s something I’ve pushed for many years,” Casey said. “There is 50 years of data making that direct linkage between earning and learning, so we can say we’re not just preparing our children but preparing our workforce and our economy.”
Another important outstanding amendment is the amendment offered by Richard Burr (R-NC), which would change the funding formula for Title I by using one formula instead of four formulas and use national per-pupil expenditures instead of state average per-pupil expenditures. Several senators have stated their opposition to the amendment because their states would lose substantial funding, which includes New York, Ohio, and Maryland.
The amendment has been modified so that the formula wouldn’t go into effect for states until spending on Title I increases from $14 billion, its current funding, to $17 billion.
“Ohio would lose $70 million, because we do invest in our kids who are vulnerable,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) said Wednesday. “If you look at this from a policy perspective, we ought not to tell states, ‘Because you invest more in your kids, you’re penalized. Senator Burr changed the amendment to reach a different level but same problem remains. This amendment is a mistake.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will also offer an amendment that would give states more control over tests and accountability.
The accountability amendment, offered by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), would have required states to intervene if schools’ subgroups, such as student of color, disabled students, and English language learners had achievement gaps. Murphy said that although he No Child Left Behind (NCLB) had many flaws, one of its benefits was forcing states to recognize achievement gaps and work toward a more equitable education system.
“I watched first firsthand as NCLB failed teachers, parents and students … Prior to NCLB, kids with disabilities were sent to vocational training with the janitor and more often than not these kids lived up to these expectations … it caused embarrassment and put pressure on all of us to do better. It’s not a worthwhile bill unless it’s a civil rights bill. Every student deserves a first-rate education.”
Murray also spoke on the Senate floor in favor of the amendment. Alexander did not support the amendment, saying, “This is adequate yearly progress through the backdoor.” Alexander read the National Education Association’s letter opposing the amendment on the Senate floor.
One Republican, Sen. Rob Portman, voted for the amendment, and only three Democrats, Sens. Jon Tester, Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King (who is an Independent but caucuses with the Democrats) voted against the amendment. That means there are enough votes to force a filibuster if Democrats want to push for it.
The “opportunity dashboard” amendment, offered by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), championed by the National Education Association, would have used data to help states identify gaps in school resources across districts and required states to create a plan and timeline for making sure that funding and other support systems reach high-need school districts. It also included library, art and music programs in its indicators of school resources to ensure a well-rounded education for students in high-need school districts.
Alexander argued that it would only fuel more federal government intervention in states.
“This amendment is about making the national school board bigger. That would have the federal government decide teacher salaries and wellness programs … We need to go in other direction and restore to states and local school boards the ability to make these decisions.” Alexander said.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) offered an amendment that would provide for a competitive grant program to support the development of materials that would teach the scientific evidence of climate change, but it did not pass either.
Alexander argued that this was a bad idea because textbooks would have to change every few years.
“It gets the federal government involved in creating the curriculum. Imagine how curriculum would change from President Obama to President Cruz and then back to President Sanders and then to President Trump … It would be a lot of wasted paper … so if we want to have better climate science, the appeal should not be to a national school board. I say that as a Republican who believes climate change is a problem,” Alexander said.