Now that many of the appropriations hearings for FY 2005 have been
held, and appropriations subcommittees look ahead to drafting their
spending bills for the coming fiscal year, Members of Congress are
voicing their funding priorities in letters to key appropriators. A
letter signed by many Members of Congress is likely to have more influence
on the appropriations process. Therefore, as many recent FYIs have
indicated, there is a flurry of "Dear Colleague" letters
circulating on Capitol Hill at this time, each seeking additional signatures
to letters expressing funding priorities. For interested constituents,
if a letter is circulating in the House or Senate about an agency or
program you wish to support, this is the time to urge your Representative
or Senators to sign on. Please note that deadlines for signatures vary
with each letter.
A significant increase for the Education Department's Math and Science
Partnership program is being sought by Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) and
Rush Holt (D-NJ). (See http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/2004/017.html for
information on the Education Department's Partnership program and the
identically-named Partnership program within NSF.) They have prepared
a letter to the Chairman of the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
Subcommittee, Ralph Regula (R-OH), asking for an increase in funding
from the FY 2004 level of $150 million to $300 million in FY 2005 for
the Partnerships. A copy of the letter will be sent to Ranking Minority
Member David Obey (D-WI). A similar letter initiated by Sen. Richard
Durbin (D-IL) in the Senate, requesting support for the Partnerships
but not specifying a dollar amount, has already been sent to Senate
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) and
Ranking Member Tom Harkin (D-IA).
The text of the letter proposed by Reps. Ehlers and Holt is provided
below. Ehlers and Holt are seeking the signatures of other House members
by April 21. Those Representatives - both Republicans and Democrats
- who have already signed on are: Ralph Hall (R-TX), Ruben Hinojosa
(D-TX), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Denise Majette (D-GA), Juanita Millender-McDonald
(D-CA), Dennis Moore (D-KS), Richard Neal (D-MA), Ron Paul (R-TX),
Lamar Smith (R-TX), Mark Udall (D-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Frank
Wolf (R-VA), and David Wu (D-OR).
"Dear Chairman Regula:
"As your subcommittee considers its priorities
for the fiscal year 2005 appropriations legislation for Labor,
Health and Human Services and Education, we respectfully request
that you provide $300 million in funding for the Math and Science
Partnership program at the Department of Education [No Child
Left Behind (NCLB), Title II, Part B].
"We are very grateful for your support of $150
million in the fiscal year 2004 budget. An appropriation of
$300 million in fiscal year 2005 will help ensure that we reach
the full funding goal of $450 million by the 2007-2008 school
year, when science testing becomes mandatory in NCLB.
"Math and science education is the foundation
of our knowledge-based economy. The prosperity Americans currently
enjoy is attributable in large part to incredible innovations
in science and technology. Our world-class research and development
enterprise fuels the progress and productivity that underpin
economic growth. Now more than ever, we must ensure the future
of this enterprise – our math & science educational
system.
"No Child Left Behind recognizes the need to ensure
skills in math and science. Students are already required to
be assessed in math, and science assessments are required by
the 2007-2008 school year. The act also recognizes that teachers
with high levels of content knowledge and access to professional
development will most effectively teach their students.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing disturbing trends
in student performance on basic math and science tests. Recently,
in The Wall Street Journal, Intel Chief Executive Officer Craig
Barrett commented, "Given how little we expect of our
high-school graduates and how other nations are betting on
education to fuel innovation, it should come as no surprise
that our middle- and high-school students fare poorly on international
comparisons of math and science achievement." Students
from other countries are outperforming our own. The maintenance
of our expertise and prosperity require that our students dramatically
improve their math and science skills.
"The Math and Science Partnerships provide necessary
professional development, which strengthens the teachers' ability
to effectively teach math and science and strengthens our students'
math and science skills. Through formula grants to every state,
the Math and Science Partnerships provide crucial teacher professional
development by linking school districts with university mathematics,
science and engineering departments.
"We respectfully request that you continue to
strengthen our math and science education system by providing
$300 million for the Department of Education's Math and Science
Partnership program."
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