U.S. Senator Larry Craig
Serving the citizens of Idaho
`http://craig.senate.gov/`

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On this page: Craig-Wyden Bill
No Child Left Behind Act
School Vouchers
Higher Education
Financial Aid
Online Resources: The White House:
Education Reform

Strengthening Idaho's most important resource—our children

“Idaho parents and local school boards—not Washington bureaucrats—ought to decide what our children should be taught and how our education dollars should be spent.”

I have long believed that the responsibility for educating our youth should be based with parents, teachers, and local school officials. Accordingly, I have supported legislation that would return education funding to the states. While there may be a role for the federal government to play in education, it must be kept minimal. I believe this is necessary to ensure a positive and engaging educational experience for the young people of America.

While college is not for everyone, those who choose to attend should have reasonable access to financial aid, whether that be through grants, scholarships, or loans. I have supported measures in the past which opened the door to more aid for students by eliminating the consideration of family assets such as home, farm, and small business equity in calculating the level of need. This has helped students from middle income families, not in a position to liquidate such assets, to provide for their children's college education.

I support enabling employers to more easily assist their employees' pursuit of higher education by making permanent the Section 127 exclusion from gross income of educational assistance provided to employees. I support incentives which allow tax deductions for parents who are sending their children to school. Students, also, should be able to keep more of the money that they and their families earn.

I hope you find this information helpful, and that you will contact me if you have any questions or comments.

Craig-Wyden Bill

Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000

Idaho's rural counties don't have the resources to spend a lot of money on education. They get some funding from the federal government, and somewhat more funding from state governments, but a significant amount of their funding comes from local property taxes. Since most of these rural counties have a large amount of public land within their borders, which cannot be taxed, these counties must have high property tax rates. However, they can't raise property tax rates too high or the taxpayers won't support them. This puts many counties in a bind. To make up for a portion of the lost revenue from public land, though, the federal government has implemented several programs to reimburse these counties. One of these programs is called "timber receipts," and payments to counties are based on how much timber is harvested on the public land within the counties' borders - 25% of the total receipts is paid to the county. This payment is specifically used for roads maintenance and construction and to support school districts.

During the Clinton Administration, however, these payments declined and the counties were squeezed for funds. When this problem came to my attention, I began to work with Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon to change the way the federal funds were distributed. In 2000, the President signed into law a bill that Senator Wyden and I sponsored which restores stability and predictability to the annual payments made to states and counties containing forest lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. In short, it helps fund rural schools and roads in counties which are affected by having a significant amount of public land within their borders.

This bill brought in around $20 million to Idaho's rural schools and roads last year, which was especially important to school districts in a tough budget year for the State of Idaho.

On February 3, 2005, Senator Wyden and I introduced legislation to reauthorize the Act, which expires in 2006. We have a broad, bipartisan, bicoastal coalition supporting the bill.

Learn more about it:

Committee Hearing: Committee Hearing on the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000

Bill text: Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (PDF, 35KB)

Bill summary: Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (PDF, 25KB)

Environmental Science and Public Policy Research Institute Report (PDF, 1 MB)

The Case for Reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (PDF, 50KB)

Highlighted Idaho RAC projects (PDF, 22KB)

Southwest Idaho RAC

Nez Perce National Forest

Editorial: Healty Forests, healthy kids

No Child Left Behind Act

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, the first major reform of federal education programs since the federal government became involved in education in the 1950's. This is a sweeping bill, and I was glad to support it when it passed the Senate. Here are a few of its most important provisions:

Schools have to produce annual report cards detailing student achievement in key subjects, so parents can see how their school is performing.
If the school is classified as failing, parents have a wide range of options to help their children learn. They receive from $500 to $1000 to purchase supplemental education services for their children, such as tutoring, as well as being able to move their children to another public school or charter school, with transportation costs paid for.
If any student is a victim of a crime, or is in a school classified as "unsafe," he or she is able to transfer to a safe public school.
Students are tested in grades three through eight in reading and math.
School districts have much more flexibility to use federal dollars for programs they deem important, instead of programs bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., deem important.
Teachers are shielded from frivolous lawsuits for reasonable actions taken to maintain discipline, order, or control in the classroom or school.
Home schools and private schools are exempt from any requirements in this bill.

Learn more about it:

House Education and Workforce Committee: The No Child Left Behind Act

Department of Education: No Child Left Behind

School Vouchers

In June 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that public funds could be used to set up school voucher programs. I was pleased the Supreme Court has upheld parents' right to choose. This was an important case for those children trapped in failing public schools. This decision will not directly affect Idaho, because our schools are above the national average in performance. However, for students in places like Milwaukee or Cleveland where there are school voucher programs, this monumental decision will mean having a choice to seek a better education. Parents, not government bureaucrats, should be the ultimate judge of what school their children can attend, and the Supreme Court made the correct decision by upholding this right.

Access the US Supreme Court's Syllabus, in PDF format, regarding the case.

Higher Education

Idaho has some of the best universities and colleges in the nation, and I am proud to have graduated from the University of Idaho, where I received a great education. While in college there, I saw how important federal funding was for both the school and the students — something I have kept in mind as I work in Congress to make sure Idaho's institutions of higher learning have the resources they need to continue providing a high quality of education for Idaho's students. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, I work with the schools every year to pinpoint their needs and find funding for their research and other initiatives. I have also worked to find proper funding for federal programs, like the EPSCoR program, which help universities secure federal grants for important scientific research.

Many Idaho students rely on the federal government to help them, and I have supported strong funding for these grants and loans in the past. If you want more information about student aid, check out the next section on Financial Aid...

Financial Aid

In the past thirty years, the government has enacted a number of programs to help students finance their education. I hope you'll be able to use the information on this page to pursue the future you have always envisioned.

To get federal financial aid, a prospective student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify. You can find a copy of the FAFSA from guidance counselors or on the Internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov. After completing the FAFSA, a student will receive information on what financial aid programs for which he or she may be eligible.

The following are types of student aid from the federal government:

GRANTS

Pell Grants: Pell Grants are the main federal grants for college students, created in 1973, and they are targeted towards low-income students. Students do not have to apply for Pell Grants; they are automatically considered for them based on the information provided when they fill out the FAFSA. You can find out more information about Pell Grants by visiting the Department of Education's Pell Grant Student Guide.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG): These grants are also given to students who exhibit financial need. Individual colleges and universities use federal criteria to determine eligibility. Like Pell Grants, students are automatically considered for them if their information on the FAFSA indicates they meet the requirements.

LOANS

Stafford Loans: These are the primary federal student loans. They are available to students of all income levels, but those who exhibit financial need may qualify for interest subsidies. There are two ways these loans are disbursed — the government gives the funds directly to students, or the loans are disbursed by private lenders and are underwritten by the government.
Perkins Loans: These are low interest loans which are based on financial need. The interest rate is 5%, and the funds are distributed by schools. Contact prospective schools for more information.
Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS Loans): These loans are given to parents to help them cover the cost of their children's education. Contact prospective schools to find out how they prefer to distribute these loans.

Learn more about federal financial aid:

Internet Guide to Financial Aid for Students
Links and helpful hints to assist students in all stages of the financial aid process, from locating and applying for various types of assistance, to repaying student loans.

http://www.YesICan.gov
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/students
http://students.gov
http://www.YoSiPuedo.gov En Español:

Or you can call the following numbers to find out more:

1-800-4-FED-AID
1-800-730-8913 (for the hearing impaired)
1-800-334-2270 (Idaho state agency for financial aid information)

U.S. Senator Larry CraigServing the citizens of Idahohttp://craig.senate.gov/