Legislative Hot Topics: Blog

Immediate calls are needed to the US Senate to forestall the proposed termination of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program. To contact your Senator call 202-224-3121. To send your Senator a quick email, go to: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

To cut and paste a note – see the end of this alert.

Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program is on the list to be terminated by the proposed House Appropriations Committee draft of a short-term continuing resolution (CR). This CR will keep the government open for two additional weeks while the complete measure is debated to fund the government for the balance of the fiscal year (September 30th). It is expected that a decision on this short-term measure will be made either Monday, February 28th or Tuesday March 1st.

Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program is designed to provide states with funds to implement age 0 to grade 12 comprehensive literacy programs. It was originally funded last year and the first phase has begun with the creation and planning by the state literacy teams.

The proposed CR cuts spending by $4 billion and in addition to the Striving Readers termination, Even Start is also terminated, and school improvement grants are cut among others. To see the complete list go to:

http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=266

The following is only a suggestion. Please feel free to add something specific to your state or community.
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Dear Senator:

I am a member of the International Reading Association and I am concerned that our schools do not have the resources for professional development needed by our teachers to reach all of their students with evidence based reading instruction.

In the House Appropriations Committee (Friday, February 25) proposal for a short-term continuing resolution they list the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program as one of the program that should be terminated. They propose this termination citing the President's proposal to terminate this program in his FY 2012 budget proposal. This is inaccurate. The budget proposal suggests new legislation with the Striving Readers program being a center-piece in a consolidation of several literacy programs. It is not a termination.

In addition, the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program has already begun with the creation of state literacy teams to plan how to implement a coordinated age 0 to grade 12 literacy program. The next step is a competitive program for states to submit plans on how they would then reach the neediest schools and their students to improve reading and writing instruction. This is critical if we are to develop a citizenry and workforce who are able to learn and work effectively.

We ask that you contact Senator Inouye (D-HI), chair of the Senate Appropriations committee and Senator Cochran (R-MS) vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ask them not to include Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy on their list of cuts.

Thank you for your time and concern.

By a vote of 235-189 the House passed their version of the spending plan for the balance of the fiscal year. Their proposal cuts education by 16% or $11.5 billion. Sixty programs are proposed to be eliminated; including many literacy programs such as Striving Readers, RIF, National Writing Project, regional education labs, and others. Title I is proposed to take a cut of $693 million, School Improvement Grants $336 million, Head Start a cut of $1 billion and many others.

The week of February 21st the Congress is home for the President’s Day District Work Period. This means that many Senators will be working in their home offices. This is important because it is an opportunity to meet with them and talk with them about the literacy needs of your communities. To contact your Senator (and to find out the correct spelling of their names) go to:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Striving Readers was passed as part of the FY 2010 appropriations process, during the past year 44 states have developed literacy plans for children aged 0 to grade 12. Now the proposal would cut spending for the balance of the year (a rescission) and for next school year. Striving Readers would provide funds for professional development activities in high-need schools to improve reading and writing instruction.

 
The Senate now has to make the following set of decisions. How much should the spending level be for the annually appropriated part of the government? Then how much should be allocated to the various areas (ours is Labor/Health and Human Services/Education) AND then how much to spend on specific programs.

It is really important that the Senators be made aware of the impact of the proposed House cuts.

To repeat myself, it is really important that Senators learn of the impact of these potential cuts.

Click here to see the Webinar from February 16th, 2011.