NREAC Meeting Minutes

  

December 3, 2008

NREA Conference Call

 

Joe Bard
Jimmy Cunningham
Noelle Ellerson
John Hill
Mary Kusler
Bill LeTarte
Claudette Morton
Jay McAdams
Ray Patrick
Bob Rogers
Dave Walrath

Congressional Rural Education Caucus

  • We ask that anyone from Illinois please make an effort to reach out to, and thank, Hare for his continued support and leadership with the rural caucus.
  • We will have a rural education caucus in both the House and the Senate.
  • While plans are being finalized, it is still too early to ‘mobilize’ around the caucus.
  • When the new Congress is sworn in, the paperwork for the caucuses will be filed, and then letters will be sent around urging people to join.
  • NREAC was asked to write a letter of support for the House and Senate caucuses.
  • We will do a single sign-on letter of all the major organizations (NREA, NREAC, and AASA)
  • Please consider getting the state organizations to write a letter, as well.
  • Both the House and the Senate are planning separate launches.
  • The House launch will be a little mingling, the members will make remarks, there will be a short 30-minute panel with practitioners giving an overview of issues confronting rural schools and federal policy (ESEA, E-Rate, REAP, etc…)
  • The idea is to have discussion at the 20,000 foot level to help Congress learn about the different issues that they can work on that impact rural schools.
  • The launch would end with a 20 minute question period.
  • The House is thinking of launching the caucus while NREAC is in town, perhaps the afternoon of February 3. We will keep you updated.
  • The Senate launch will look quite similar, it will be held separately.

Other Rural Education Related Topics

  • The House is considering holding a briefing on ‘rural definitions’ as they related rural education so as to preempt any definition arguments as they move forward with legislation.
  • The Senate is considering a briefing on innovation in rural schools.
  • The Senate is also considering a briefing to explain the completed ESEA bill, when that does occur.

Legislative Meeting: February 2009

  • The NREAC legislative conference will be Feb 2-3, 2009.
  • The Executive Committee will be meeting late afternoon/dinner hour in Sunday, February 1.
  • There is a block of hotel rooms at the Arlington Hilton. You can make your reservations under the AASA room block. The nightly rate is $199. The phone number is (703) 528-6000.
  • We are in the process of finalizing the agenda. The popular issues will be included: ESEA, funding, REAP, and the rural caucus.
  • Please look for the registration form that will be sent separately.

Stimulus

  • The real opportunity to impact the stimulus discussion is right now. Congress is writing the bill now- the question is whether they get it done in early January so Obama can sign it into law the week of inauguration or put the final touches on it post-inauguration
  • There are three things going on:
  • There will definitely be some school construction money/emergency repair; it will look like the old Harkin Emergency money from 2001.
  • Kennedy’s staff is pushing for a pot of money, one-time block-grant funds to school districts;
  • Money for IDEA; we have long made the economic arguments over funding emphasizing how lack of funding for IDEA puts added financial pressure on school districts
  • Total stimulus: still unsure of package amount but $700 billion over two years has been mentioned.

Telecom

  • The Universal Service Fund, which funds E-Rate, is up for reauthorization
  • Need to think about wish list: what is it that we need from telecom?
  • Raise overall cap at E Rate
  • Broadband?
  • Please share any new ideas on technology that would be a help

The next conference call will be Wednesday, January 7 at 3 pm ET.