Washington, D.C. - Today U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that he has reintroduced legislation to dramatically improve funding for schools in military and tribal communities such as Oak Harbor, Marysville, Ferndale, and LaConner. The funding, called Impact Aid, is given to school districts with a high military or tribal presence. The Bush Administration’s budget released this week freezes Impact Aid funding at last year’s level that represents a cut in funding when cost of living increases and inflation is considered. The budget also cuts funding for the Impact Aid school construction program.

Larsen explained, “Impact Aid funding is never guaranteed, rarely paid in full, and full of bureaucracy. This legislation will guarantee prompt and full payment to schools without the needless red tape.”

By law public schools must accept all children from military families, tribal reservations, or other federal establishments. Families in federal housing, however, do not pay local property taxes on this land, denying local schools of their traditional funding source. This puts a severe financial burden on school districts that educate a significant number of federally-connected children, diminishing the overall quality of education, and increasing the funding burden on local taxpayers.

“Each year Impact Aid school districts must make blind budgets since they never know how much Impact Aid funding they will receive,” Larsen said. “Our teachers and students deserve better. I am working to make sure that Impact Aid schools get the help they need when they need it.”

Fifty-six percent of Oak Harbor School District’s enrolled students are federally-connected. While the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 authorized $5,619,000 for fiscal year 2005 for Oak Harbor, the school district will actually only receive $4,040,000 for the 2004-2005 school year, representing a more than $1.5 million shortfall.

Larsen’s bipartisan legislation, H.R. 390, the Government Reservation Accelerated Development for Education Act (GRADE-A), would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to entitle school districts to specified payment amounts under Impact Aid programs and revise the formula for calculating additional Impact Aid payments for federally-connected children with disabilities. It also expands the authorization of funds for school construction.

“While our military men and women answer the call of duty overseas, the least we can do is ensure a strong education for their children,” Larsen stressed.

Larsen serves on the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.