Alert 02/05/07

Urgent! Legislative Coordinators: Your Stories Can Help Resurrect Payments to Schools

Tell Your Story: How Will Loss of Forest Reserve Payments Hurt Your School?

National Education Association lobbyists need your support to win votes in Congress for funds that will help public school districts that are within or contain U.S. National Forest Lands.

Background
For almost 100 years, school districts within or including portions of U.S. National Forest Lands have been the beneficiaries of revenues derived from those lands.

In 2000, Congress enacted the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination, which guaranteed a base level of funding to counties impacted by reduced forest land revenues. These funds have historically been called Forest Reserve payments.

Unfortunately, the Act expired at the end of 2006 and has not been renewed.

NEA representatives are urging Congress to act immediately to reauthorize this critical program, and they need your help. They need stories from school districts around the country showing the dramatic impact if the Act is not renewed.

Will your school have to lay off staff?

Will programs be shut down?

Please share with NEA how you think your school and your community will be impacted without this funding.

Thank you for your help on this most urgent matter.

Coordinators Should: Ask CTA members in rural districts to write up and send your stories to Merwyn Scott in NEA Government Relations at mscott@nea.org.