On Monday, the House Education and Labor Committee hosted a hearing entitled, “Budget Cuts and Lost Learning: Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Public Education." The purpose of the hearing was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted state and local government revenue and how projected state and local government budget shortfalls will further exacerbate education investments and program quality. Witnesses at the hearing included Michael Leachman, the vice president for state fiscal policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Rebecca Pringle, the vice president of the National Education Association; Mark Johnson, superintendent of public instruction at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; and Eric Gordon, the CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Although members from both parties agreed that the current pandemic is having adverse effects on student learning and that the government needs to play a role in minimizing the effects, they differed on what that role should be and the scope of the federal response. Democrats argued that the federal government hasn’t currently done enough, noting the CARES Act hasn’t come close to meeting the budgetary needs states face. They suggested that inaction will further widen the achievement gap among students. In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) stated “unless the federal government provides immediate relief, it won’t be a matter of whether education funding will be cut, but how deep the cuts will be. While wealthier districts will fall back on property taxes, low-income public schools will rely heavily on state funding. These districts—which are already disproportionally impacted by COVID-19—will suffer severe cuts in education and other areas at a time when they can least afford it.”
Republicans on the other hand favored a slower, more measured approach. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the committee’s ranking republican, acknowledged the toll the pandemic has taken on our school districts, but said it would be “irresponsible” to provide more federal education aid without first assessing the effectiveness of funds Congress has already spent. She went on to back this point by saying, “More spending does not guarantee better outcomes.” Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) suggested that more federal funding to help schools will mortgage the futures of students it is meant to help.
If you would like to watch the entirety of the hearing, click here.
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