Cohen Introduces Education Funding Equity Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Education Funding Equity Act – legislation that would eliminate a loophole and ensure that high poverty schools receive its equitable share of state and local funds to help children perform better in school.

“Children in high poverty school districts are not receiving the funds they need to excel,” said Congressman Cohen.  “It is important that states and local school districts pay their fair share of educational funds so our children can get the education they need to compete in a 21st Century global economy.”

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) requires that school districts use state and local funds to provide services to higher-poverty, Title I schools that are comparable to services in lower-poverty, non-Title I schools.  Federal assistance provided through Title I is meant to provide additional resources to high poverty schools -- not to compensate for an inequitable distribution of state and local funds that benefits more affluent schools.

However, the current Title I comparability requirement allows school districts to demonstrate compliance in various ways and does not require comparability of actual school-level expenditures.  In November 2011, the U.S. Department of Education released a report revealing that many state and local school districts across the country are not paying their fair share in educational funds that are to be allotted to Title I schools.

The Cohen measure would close this loophole and require school districts to provide equitable state and local funds for all schools.  Specifically, the bill would  require school districts to show comparability through per pupil expenditures, including teacher salaries.  A school district may only receive federal Title I funds if the per pupil expenditures for high poverty schools is not less than the expenditures for its low poverty schools.

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