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)
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www.edpartnerships.org
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