Good News from the Senate and a Call to Action

Posted by Julie Stone on March 8, 2011 under Legislative Updates, News | Be the First to Comment

From Barbara Haxton, OHSAI Executive Director

The Senate has published their budget for the remaining 7 months of the current federal year. In deep contrast to the House bill which cuts $1,083,000,000 of Head Start base funding and a billion more in ARRA funding, the Senate bill would provide $7.57 billion, $1.4 billion more than the House. This would keep all 218,000 threatened child slots in Head Start and Early Head Start intact. 55,000 Head Start staff would stay employed and they would still save $600 million!

We have an opportunity in the next days and weeks to dramatically reverse the disaster that the House Bill HR 1 would force upon us! But this will NOT happen without your help.  We must keep a constant flow of letters to our two Senator’s offices as well as  the White House. The tone of these letters should be thanking both Senator Brown and President Obama for the support reflected in these figures.

Remember that:

Senator Brown is a member of the Appropriations Committee which shaped these figures! He needs our appreciation and that of the 218,000 children who might never get the Head Start they deserve! He is definitely on our side and continues to support us!  Send an email to him saying thank you.   Do it via contacts with Margie Glick his education assistant – Margie_glick@brown.senate.gov 202-224-2315.

President Obama has made an ongoing commitment to Head Start and Early Head Start. He needs to hear from us that we are thanking him for this and trusting in him to hang tough in these negotiations on behalf of the 218,000 children who would lose their future, the 55,000 talented, dedicated staff who would lose their jobs and the over 2,000 agencies which would be severely damaged by such draconian cuts!  Send a fax/email to the White House (www.whitehouse.gov) 202-456-1111 for comments; 202-456-1414 switchboard and 202-456-2461 fax

We must assume that we can convince Senator Portman to see the investment potential in Head Start and Early Head Start and support us in our effort!  Go through his aide – Megan Harrington Megan_harrington@portman.senate.gov 202-224-3353

** and remember to send all these notes from your home computers or your personal phones.

We will keep up the media barrage as well. The Washington, D.C. contractor retained by Region V HSA, and our association consultant can work to support your media contacts. If you need support, or have an idea for a local TV or news media release, let us know and we will provide whatever help you might need (short of cash).

We all have the opportunity to impact this cause.  Family, friends, Facebook or other networks need to be in play!!

Here is the original text from pages 9-10 of the Senate’s Summary of their March 5 proposal:

Head Start

The House Republican CR cuts over $1 billion from the Head Start program compared to the FY10 enacted level, which provides comprehensive early childhood services—education, nutrition, health, social, and emotional development—to nearly one million low-income children and their families. The House bill would eliminate those services for about 218,000 children and their families next year (an almost 25 percent reduction), close 16,000 Head Start classrooms, and lay off 55,000 teachers, teacher assistants and related staff. The Senate bill provides $7.57 billion for Head Start (over $1.4 billion more than the House Republican CR), which is enough to maintain the number of children currently in Head Start classrooms and prevent any job losses.

Child Care

The House Republican CR cuts $40 million from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) compared to the FY10 enacted level, just as child care funding provided in the 2009 Recovery Act is coming to an end. The House CR would eliminate child care subsidies for about 165,000 low-income children, significantly reducing the availability and affordability of quality child care for low-income families. These are families that are working, or in some cases looking for work, and that depend on those subsidies to do so. The Senate bill provides $2.44 billion for the CCDBG, $350 million more than the House Republican bill.

Title I grants to school districts

The House Republican CR slashes Title I funding by nearly $700 million, meaning 2,400 schools serving 1 million disadvantaged students could lose funding, and approximately 10,000 teachers and aides could lose their jobs. The Senate bill, by contrast, would increase funding for Title I by $100 million, for a total of $14.6 billion, or $794 million more than HR 1. The Title I grants program is the foundation of federal assistance to elementary and secondary schools across the country, providing financial assistance to more than 90 percent of the nation’s school districts.

Community Health Centers

The House Republican CR cuts discretionary funding for community health centers by $1 billion compared to the FY10 enacted level, preventing any new clinics from opening, eliminating funding for 127 clinics currently operating in 38 States and reducing current services at another 1,096 centers nation-wide. More than 2.8 million people would likely lose access to their current primary care provider and over 5,000 health center staff could lose their jobs. The Senate bill restores the $1 billion cut, preserving both the vital services being provided today and the planned expansion of centers estimated to treat over 7.5 million new patients this year.

Community Development Block Grant

The House CR cuts the Community Development Block Grant by $2.5 billion or 62% below both the FY2010 enacted level and the FY2011 request—this represents the lowest level of funding this program would ever receive. CDBG is provided to states and communities through a needs-based formula to address the housing and economic development needs in their communities. The $3.99 billion provided in the Senate CR will create or support over 100,000 jobs.