Federal Legislative Report 116-15

Several school boards have recently adopted resolutions encouraging Congress to approve funds for school districts in the next stimulus package to help offset increased costs due to the pandemic and expected losses in state and local revenues due to the economic downturn.
Your district may wish to consider adopting a resolution as well. The following are possible points to include:

• Investing in public education is as essential and valuable as investments in the nation's physical and digital infrastructure
• Public education is overwhelmingly funded from state and local revenues
• Due to the pandemic and economic downturns, districts, cities, and states face significant reductions in revenue, and can borrow far less easily than the Federal government
• Federal funding to date has been disproportionately less for public entities than support for private-sector businesses — about 0.6%  percent of the CARES Act
• Without Federal action, there will be cuts to school funding that will impact children's lives and futures
• Federal funding is essential for education so student learning can continue to advance — especially for students who most rely on education as a ladder to opportunity

 The full Federal Legislative Report 116-15 includes an update on CARES Act funds for private schools, the USDE rule on transgender athletes in women's sports, broadband assistance for low-income households, federal approval for Illinois' plan for Career and Technical Education, and a grant program for school-based mental health services.