One of CSBA’s priority policy areas, and a focal point of the upcoming Coast2Coast federal advocacy event, received a significant boost when the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Reauthorization Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 14. This was welcome news after the bill failed to receive funding during the last Congressional session despite unanimous support in the Senate and bipartisan support in the House.
Formally titled HR 1383 – To Extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, the bill provides critical revenue for local educational agencies whose boundaries include tax-exempt national forest land. Failure to renew the Secure Rural Schools Act would reduce the funding rural communities receive for schools and also cut payments to county governments for roads and other local programs.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-California), whose district covers most of the state’s northern interior, is sponsoring the bill, which would provide about $250 million a year for schools and infrastructure in more than 700 rural counties disproportionately located in western states like California. While that number may seem modest compared to large, urban school district budgets, SRS provides a financial lifeline for some rural LEAs where even one staff position or tens of thousands of dollars can have a meaningful impact on student experience and achievement. Funding is scheduled to run out in mid-March, which could result in programmatic cuts, deferred maintenance, service reductions and layoffs at schools.
CSBA has advocated for the SRS since its inception and aggressively pursued renewal every time it neared expiration. CSBA has even proposed extending the period between renewals to provide greater transparency and stability for the funding of local schools. This advocacy has resulted in growing appreciation for the value of SRS, as evidenced by the bipartisan support it generated the last time it was introduced in Congress, especially in the Senate, where there was no formal opposition.
A Senate version of SRS was introduced in January by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and supported by an eclectic group of senators including Josh Hawley (R- Missouri), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and other legislators who often find themselves on opposite sides of an issue. Yet, the critical debate on SRS will take place in the House, where the previous version of the bill collapsed under the weight of new funding rules established by Republican leadership that restrict the passage of bills that don’t have a defined revenue source in the federal budget to pay for them.
CSBA is working closely on SRS with Rep. LaMalfa, the bill sponsor, as well as other high-profile California supporters in the House such as Jared Huffman (D-California), whose district spans the northwestern coast of the state that contains a significant section of federally owned forest land. CSBA is also partnering with the Association of California School Administrators and with other interest groups in affected states such as Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington to exert maximum pressure before funding gaps hamstring local school districts, county offices of education and county governments.
Attendees at Coast2Coast, taking place from April 28-30, will have the opportunity to express their support for this issue directly to policymakers in Washington, D.C. A major obstacle for passage of the Secure Rural Schools Act is that its biggest beneficiaries typically live in the West, far removed the nation’s capital where they are not easily able to advocate in-person for its renewal. Coast2Coast eliminates that barrier.
Members who can’t make it to D.C. should keep their eyes peeled for CSBA action alerts and other efforts to mobilize support for renewing the Secure Rural Schools Act.
