AzSIAA Bi-Weekly Newsletter
From the Executive Director
This is the latest Impact Aid funding information. The byways have been quiet regarding congressional happenings.
| Congressional Committee | Actions | Comment | Senate Appropriations Committee FY2019 - June 28, 2018. | Passed funding bill giving Impact Aid a $25 million increase. | The bill includes a combined $400 million increase for: Title 1 Grants to school districts; IDEA/Special Education State grants; Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants; and Impact Aid. |
|---|---|---|
| House Appropriations Committee | Passed funding for Impact Aid at $52 Million increase. | Passed the full committee on July 11, 2018 |
Have a great school opening!
Larry E. Wallen
What are the current advocacy issues facing ASIAA, NAFIS and Impact Aid?
- Protect Impact Aid
- Continue advocacy for increased funding - $52 million in the House markup scheduled for July 11, Senate proposes $25 million increase
- Recruit Impact Aid Coalition members (Gosar, Grijalva, Sinema, McCain current members)
- Midterm elections - determine makeup of Senate and House - be prepared to meet and greet!
- Continue to oppose the Heritage Voucher proposal. This proposal would create a $1.3 billion voucher program for military families and remove this money from the school districts it is currently distributed to annually.
- Administration proposes merging Education & Labor Departments into the Department of Education and the Workforce (DEW)
ASIAA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
ASIAA membership renewals for the 2018-2019 membership year that begins July 1, will be mailed next week. My goal is to provide your membership invoice so your accounting department can process the payment in a timely manner.
In the next two weeks, I will send an original renewal letter and invoice to your district’s primary contact.If you have not received your invoice by July 15, please contact Larry Wallen, lwallen@azsiaa.org. Please update any contact information listed on the membership invoice so that I have current names, titles, and email addresses for your school district representatives.Have a great year!
In the next two weeks, I will send an original renewal letter and invoice to your district’s primary contact.If you have not received your invoice by July 15, please contact Larry Wallen, lwallen@azsiaa.org. Please update any contact information listed on the membership invoice so that I have current names, titles, and email addresses for your school district representatives.Have a great year!
New! FISEF Is Headed to Flagstaff, Oct. 11-12
Registration is now open for a Two-Day School Business Officials Workshop in Flagstaff, AZ, October 11-12.
The workshop offers an important opportunity for school business officials and others who work on the Impact Aid application to strengthen their skills in advance of the January 31 application deadline. Topics to be covered include identifying eligible students, completing the Section 7003 application, understanding LOT, reading a school district voucher and much more. Register today!
The workshop offers an important opportunity for school business officials and others who work on the Impact Aid application to strengthen their skills in advance of the January 31 application deadline. Topics to be covered include identifying eligible students, completing the Section 7003 application, understanding LOT, reading a school district voucher and much more. Register today!
House and Senate Pass Perkins Reauthorization - AASA - July 24, 2018
The House and Senate have passed a reauthorization of the Perkins CTE bill that will be on the President's desk shortly. Unfortunately, AASA was not able to support the reauthorization because it did not address our two major reauthorization priorities: reducing paperwork and streamlining accountability provisions. Sasha has drafted a quick summary of the major provisions of importance to local districts. You can also read a bit about the process and how the Perkins bill passed so quickly here. Feel free to reach out to Sasha with any additional questions or concerns.
House Dems Release Higher Education Bill - AASA - July 24, 2018
On Tuesday, Democrats on the House Education and Workforce committee released the Aim Higher Act, their bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. It contains some big elements – universal community college, debt free college – as well as the preservation of the teacher preparation elements that were eliminated in the Republicans' PROSPER Act. These include Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, Perkins Loan Cancellation, and TEACH Grants.
Farm Bill Conference Begins - AASA - July 24, 2018
This week, the Senate voted to enter a conference with the House on the Farm Bill. That will begin the process of combining the two bills passed by the House and the Senate. The conference committee is large - 47 members and counting - indicating that it will be a time-consuming and contentious process.
The two bills are very far apart on what they do to the nutrition elements of the Farm Bill. The House bill adds strict work requirements to SNAP, which could cause two million people – including many children – to lose or face cuts to their SNAP benefits. It would also restrict states' ability to use broad based categorical eligibility, which allows states to automatically enroll recipients of other government services in SNAP and school meals. Estimates say that this would cause 265,000 students to lose access to free school meals. The Senate did not change nutrition programs in any way. AASA will be advocating for the preservation of the categorical eligibility and SNAP benefits for students in need.
The two bills are very far apart on what they do to the nutrition elements of the Farm Bill. The House bill adds strict work requirements to SNAP, which could cause two million people – including many children – to lose or face cuts to their SNAP benefits. It would also restrict states' ability to use broad based categorical eligibility, which allows states to automatically enroll recipients of other government services in SNAP and school meals. Estimates say that this would cause 265,000 students to lose access to free school meals. The Senate did not change nutrition programs in any way. AASA will be advocating for the preservation of the categorical eligibility and SNAP benefits for students in need.
Post to Your Calendar
| Date | Organization | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 5-7, 2018 | ASBA | 42nd Annual Law Conference | Scottsdale, Az |
| Sept 13-15, 2018 | ARSA | 2018 ARSA Annual Conference | Flagstaff, Az |
| Sept 23-25, 2018 | NAFIS | NAFIS Fall 2018 Conference | Washington, DC |
| Sept 26-28, 2018 | ACSA | Southwest Carter Convention | Phoenix, Az |
| Oct 11-12, 2018 | FISEF | FY2020 Application Workshop - James Kock Facilitator | Flagstaff, Az |
| Oct 17, 2018 | ASBA | Apache and Navajo County Meeting | TBD |
| Oct 2018 | ASA | Fall Superintendent Conference | Prescott, Az |
| Nov 15-16, 2018 | ASBA | Pre Workshop and Legislative Workshop | Phoenix, Az |
| Dec 12-14, 2018 | ASBA | ASBA-ASA 61st Annual Conference | Phoenix, Az |