HRES 94

Whereas the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) defines free public education as education that is provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without tuition charge and provided as elementary or secondary education in the applicable State or to preschool children;

Whereas publicly funded local K–12 schools serve millions of students and families and provide economic opportunity for all, including in rural and geographically isolated areas;

Whereas, approximately 90 percent of students in the United States in prekindergarten through 12th grade and about 95 percent of students with disabilities attend a public school;

Whereas State and local funding for public K–12 schools varies significantly within States and across the United States, creating additional need among schools in under-resourced communities;

Whereas the role of the Federal Government in public education has historically been to level the playing field by creating equity of opportunity for all students, regardless of their background, ability, or ZIP Code in which they are educated;

Whereas Federal funding plays a critical role in narrowing funding gaps for disadvantaged students, providing integrated and wraparound supports for students and families, helping students meet challenging State academic standards, and increasing the chances of success in education and the workforce;

Whereas 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and the 50th anniversary of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);

Whereas the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.), enacted in 1979, declares that the establishment of a Department of Education is in the public interest, will promote the general welfare of the United States, will help ensure that education issues receive proper treatment at the Federal level, and will enable the Federal Government to coordinate its education activities more effectively;

Whereas the Department of Education serves approximately 100,000 public K–12 schools across the country, which collectively educate more than 49,000,000 students;

Whereas reading and mathematics scores and college degree attainment have substantially increased since the Department of Education was established;

Whereas the Department of Education is also a civil rights agency responsible for protecting students from discrimination and advancing educational equity and its Office for Civil Rights enforces Federal laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment, including investigating record numbers of incidents of discrimination and hate in recent years despite employing only about half of the staff the Office had when it was originally established;

Whereas the Department of Education administers IDEA grants to help public schools serve more than 7,500,000 students with disabilities, a substantial financial commitment that cannot reasonably be assumed by State or local governments, and provides monitoring and oversight to hold States accountable for providing a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities;

Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding through ESEA title I–A grants to more than 51,000 public schools serving concentrated populations of students from low-income families in rural, suburban, and urban communities;

Whereas the Department of Education provides funding through ESEA title IV–F to support full-service community schools, which partner with local stakeholders, parents, and families to provide common sense, locally driven solutions to the challenges students and families face;

Whereas the Department of Education provides vital support to thousands of rural school districts through the Rural Education Achievement program under ESEA title V–B, which funds both the Small, Rural School Achievement grant program and the Rural and Low-Income School grant program;

Whereas the Department of Education directly invests in the quality and effectiveness of nearly 90 percent of teachers and approximately 20 percent of school leaders nationwide through ESEA title II–A professional development grants, ultimately improving retention rates, addressing the nationwide educator shortage, and improving student achievement;

Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help more than 5,000,000 English-language learners achieve language proficiency and meet State academic standards through ESEA title III–A grants;

Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help tens of thousands of public schools provide well-rounded education, technology support, and school safety measures through ESEA title IV–A, IV–B, and IV–F grants;

Whereas the Department of Education provides grants under ESEA title IV–E to support the work of Statewide Family Engagement Centers, which provide parent education initiatives, family engagement programs, and family-school partnerships;

Whereas the Department of Education supports the education of Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native children, consistent with the historic trust responsibility, through ESEA title VI grants;

Whereas the Department of Education provides funds to strengthen and support career and technical education programs for more than 8,200,000 secondary students across the country through title I of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (20 U.S.C. 2321 et seq.);

Whereas the Department of Education provides necessary oversight so students have access to targeted interventions and services;

Whereas the Department of Education protects students, families, and staff from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin under title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), based on sex under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), and based on disability under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) so all individuals can access equal educational and employment opportunities;

Whereas the Department of Education invests in research to understand and disseminate information about the interventions and practices that are most effective at providing excellent educational opportunities for all students;

Whereas the Department of Education employs the smallest staff of any Department, with the lowest overall staff-to-budget ratio of all 15 Departments;

Whereas dismantling or relocating any major offices within the Department of Education may substantially disrupt program administration and create a delay or loss of vitally important supports for students and funding for public schools across the Nation; and

Whereas, without Federal investment, State and local educational agencies would be forced to enact drastic funding cuts that would disproportionately affect students from rural areas, low-income families, students of color, and students with disabilities, as well as harm American competition in the global economy: Now, therefore, be it