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FYI Rudy Redmond Manager,KCP Initiative (517) 373-9700 ________________________________ From: Nathan Monell [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nathan Monell Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 4:05 PM To: Redmond, Rudy (DELEG) Subject: Congressional Briefing from Nathan Monell The NCCEP Digest offers action alerts, news, funding opportunities, and trend data for GEAR UP partners and sites. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser<http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a0d96cacbd72776b465181daf&id=8d33975473&e=38665863a1>. [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/a0d96cacbd72776b465181daf/images/from_Nathan_Monell1302895427.jpg]<http://edpartnerships.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=a0d96cacbd72776b465181daf&id=133d1fdc1a&e=38665863a1> Dear Rudy, Sausage making. That is usually how people describe the process in DC where deals are cut and lives are changed. Last Friday, the White House, Senate and House cut a deal that kept the government open for business. It was in everyone's best interest to reach a deal. If you were glued to the debate as I was, you saw how the public conversations were about how large the cuts were and what was going to happen with riders such as the one banning funding for Planned Parenthood. But the devil is always in the details. The Republican majority in the House has created a new standard that requires time to review legislation before it is voted on. Good idea. This time it did not happen. Having time to see what is being proposed matters to us, too. As advocates, it is very difficult to fight brokered deals behind closed doors. We do not have the opportunity to challenge those who believe corporations need more help than disadvantaged students. We cannot even hold our friends accountable for what they have promised. And that is how we get sausage. Yesterday, the House and Senate approved funding for FY 11 that the President is expected to sign. When push came to shove, GEAR UP and TRIO were thrown under a bus. While the President's initiative, Race to the Top, received $700 million in new funds, GEAR UP appears to have been cut $20.4 million, and our partner in college access, TRIO, has been cut $26.6 million. Many of you have both programs under one roof. These cuts will hurt our movement deeply. Here is our understanding of how those cuts will play out. When the Department of Education gives out GEAR UP grants in late summer or early fall, they will award $20.4 million less. This means that grantees who would otherwise qualify to receive a grant will not. And, the ultimate bottom line is that 40,000 fewer students will be served, reducing graduation rates and the number of youth who will go to college. We hope that those of you who are reapplying for grants have already responded to our previous call to action to make that point clear to your elected officials. These cuts will dramatically impact the administration's 2020 goals for college completion. College completion goals will never be met without meeting college access goals. We have been promised better by this administration and this Congress and this time they did not deliver. I will be formally protesting to the Secretary, the President, and Congressional leadership on your behalf. We want them to know that the process and the outcomes do not reflect the commitments we have been given. You will receive a call to action today that will invite you to do the same. Our work needs to continue with our friends in Congress and the White House to reassess their commitment and willingness to fight for college access and GEAR UP in particular. I would like to do that arm in arm with other college access partners. We are beginning those conversations to see if we can make that a reality. Our unified efforts will be required if we are to restore lost funding and fight off additional cuts. In this political arena, some Members of Congress are labeling college access as another entitlement program to cut. Many are too short-sighted, hoping for short term gains in deficit reduction while ignoring the long-term revenue impact of tens of thousands of students who will not earn college-level incomes for the next 50 years. No one can look at the budget battle of 2011 without noting it was a bad year for education in many areas. As one insider told me, education received a shot across the bow of the boat. It is a warning that in the future we must fight for each dollar of funding and prove our value at every turn. The truth for GEAR UP is that we need better proof of our work on a national level. I am committed to making that a reality. When we have that proof in hand, we will quit playing defense and start playing offense, demanding more because we know it works. Best, Nathan R. Monell, CAE Executive Director National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) 1400 20th Street NW Suite G-1 Washington, DC 20036 202-530-1135 ext. 105 202-530-0809 (fax) [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> www.edpartnerships.org<http://edpartnerships.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a0d96cacbd72776b465181daf&id=2119cda605&e=38665863a1> follow on Twitter<http://www.twitter.com/edpartnerships/> | friend on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/NCCEP> | forward to a friend<http://us2.forward-to-friend2.com/forward?u=a0d96cacbd72776b465181daf&id=8d33975473&e=38665863a1> Copyright (c) 2011 National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you previously opted in to receive e-mails from NCCEP or because of your affiliation with a GEAR UP program. 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