New Federal Grants for School Districts
by Dr. Tony Magana
Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was instrumental in the passage of legislation to create federal grants for upgrades and repairs to local school districts.
The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (HR 2187) is legislation which will grant authority to the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies for the modernization, renovation, repair and other purposes.
According to Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) the bill authorizes $6.4 million for school projects to make schools cleaner, more energy efficient, and better learning environments. He says that educational research supports better student achievement as well as improved teacher recruitment and retention with such programs.
The legislation has been criticized by some Republican members including Rep. Howard McKeon because they see it as an attempt to nationalize and regulate school construction and thus “usurp” control from local authorities. They further complain the mandatory compliance with Davis-Bacon wage standards will increase labor costs by approximately 25% and that the bill will siphon funds out the federal pool of funds reserved for disabled students.
The bill was amended from the original form to include requirements for a bipartisan provision coauthored by Congressman Cuellar and Congressman Phil Roe of Tennessee, to allow study of the impact of the bill’s repair and modernization efforts on student performance which addressed a Republican concern.
Congressman Cuellar also coauthored with Congressman Bobby Bright of Alabama, insertion of a set aside 5% of the bill’s overall funding – about $320 million – for areas recovering from a natural disaster or suffering severe economic distress.
Text of the bill specifically states that the funds are a supplement and not meant to supplant the amount of funds available for a project so that the project will necessarily be locally based in initiation and planning.
On May 14, 2009 the measure based the House of Representatives with 149 Republicans joining Democrats in support. Congressman Cuellar says the bill will likely bring $569 million for Texas school improvements.
Many conservatives feel that good infrastructure projects may benefit the economy more than the corporate bailouts. The Congressional Budget Office report estimates that between 2010 and 2013 there would be $6.4 billion in awards and about $100 million for areas hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A resultant increase in discretionary spending of $33 billion would also occur. The new grant program would be a huge endeavor.
Economic studies have shown that returns on investment are multiplied into increased revenue for states when their population becomes more educated. Texas has consistently had low levels of students reaching college by age 21 and unacceptably high rates of high school dropouts especially for minorities.. There may be some appropriate concern about how the government is going to interfere into local school planning which means this program will require transparency and accountability but overall I think Congressman Cuellar made the right call to support this bill.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin
