In a testament to the value of persistent advocacy, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S 356 (Crapo, R-Idaho), the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act (SRS) on Dec. 9, restoring a financial lifeline to many rural schools in California and across the nation. The overwhelming vote (399-5) would extend the program through 2027 and provide retroactive payments to districts that lost funding while it was lapsed. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who has not indicated whether or not he will sign.
Passage of the Secure Rural Schools Act also vindicated years of federal lobbying efforts from CSBA, which has vigorously supported SRS since its inception and aggressively pursued renewal every time it neared expiration. CSBA has even pushed to extend the period between reauthorization from two years to 10 — and prioritized the issue during several CSBA-ACSA Coast2Coast Federal Advocacy Trips. This April, CSBA and ACSA hosted more than 300 California school trustees and superintendents who met with their Congressional representatives to urge reauthorization of the act that funds payments to counties (for roads) and to public schools, supporting the restoration of public services and school programs and preventing the closure of numerous isolated rural schools.
Two decades of advocacy has resulted in growing appreciation for the value of SRS, as evidenced by the bipartisan support it generates. This year, CSBA has been working closely on SRS with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-California), who sponsored HR 1383, an identical bill to S 356, 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 has also partnered with ACSA and with other interest groups in affected states such as Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington to exert maximum pressure before funding gaps further hamstring local school districts, county offices of education and county governments.
CSBA thanks all the members who have supported the fight to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools, either by responding to Action Alerts, meeting with their representatives, or rallying support for the act in their communities. The reauthorization, if signed by the President, provides about $250 million a year for school and infrastructure initiatives in more than 700 rural counties with wide swaths of federal land including forests, national parks and other tax-exempt property.
Local educational agencies in 29 California counties benefit from Secure Rural Schools. The Act is a crucial funding mechanism in the effort to offer rural school students educational opportunities comparable to those experienced by suburban and urban students.
Failure to reauthorize would deprive rural students of needed support, exacerbating the state’s achievement gaps and diminishing economic opportunities in rural communities. So, despite the encouraging outlook, CSBA will continue to advocate forcefully for SRS until the President signs the bill into law.
Note: An email sent to membership on Dec. 9 identified the SRS Act bill that passed as HR 1383 by LaMalfa. The actual legislation passed was S 356 by Crapo. The bill’s are identical in text.
