AzSIAA Bi-Weekly Newsletter
From the Executive Director
On Monday, March 11, 2019, President Trump released his budget request for FY20. In this request, the US Department of Education faces a 12% cut, with funding for 29 programs eliminated. For Impact Aid, the President’s budget request funds the Basic Support program at its FY19 funding level ($1,446,112,000). The budget request eliminates the Federal Property program. Other line items are funded at the FY19 level, construction, children with disabilities and facilities maintenance.
The President budget requests an “unprecedented level of resources to promote school choice,” with Secretary DeVos’s tuition tax credit plan. The proposal would create up to $5 billion a year in new tax credits for individuals and businesses that donate to scholarships to pay for private school tuition or other education expenses. Such a proposal will drain dollars from the public education system and could lead to long-term deficits in Impact Aid funding.
ASIAA and NAFIS are calling on Congress to disregard the proposed cuts and provide, at a minimum, a $2 million increase to Federal Property and a $50 million increase to Basic Support. This funding would help to fund school districts newly eligible for Federal Property payments as a result of the federal government acquiring more land and restore the LOT payout to FY18 funding levels for Basic Support.
Analysis of the President’s FY2020 Budget.
President’s Budget Would Add More than $10 Trillion to the Debt
Acton Needed: NAFIS Infrastructure Picture Project Aims to Raise Lawmaker Awareness --- (NAFIS News 3/8/2019)
NAFIS is committed to ensuring that the construction needs of federally impacted school districts remain part of the national conversation around infrastructure. We continue to push the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act and to support the Rebuild America's Schools Act, which includes an increase in the Impact Aid construction line item.
To help lawmakers understand how this legislation will benefit their constituents, we are asking NAFIS members to demonstrate the infrastructure needs in their districts. We have prepared a customizable template to help.
What we'd like you to do:
Think about the biggest or most pressing project in your district,
Take a picture of the building or area that needs attention,
Use the NAFIS template to tell the story of why your district needs this project,
Bring your story to the NAFIS Conference, drop it off at the NAFIS registration desk and deliver it to your Members of Congress during your congressional meetings (if you are not coming to the conference, email it directly to your Members of Congress and to NAFIS at anne@nafisdc.org),
As part of your communication with lawmakers, ask them to sponsor the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act
The template is available on the NAFIS website. We appreciate your support in this effort.
Questions? Contact NAFIS Policy & Advocacy Director Leslie Finnan at leslie@nafisdc.org or Communications Director Anne O'Brien at anne@nafisdc.org.
Thank you for attending the NAFIS spring conference. Your voice is needed to ensure adequate funding for Impact Aid.
Ms. Ostgaard, President, has the ASIAA packet for distribution. The Arizona meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2019, at 4:30 - 5:15 in Capital Room B.
Link to conference information:
Hill visits are scheduled. Congress will be in Arizona during the conference. I am scheduling meetings with staffers. Confirmed is Congresswoman Kirkpatrick (Camen Frias), Congressman Biggs (Greg Safsten), Congressman O’Halleran (Edgar Rivas), Congressman Grijalva (Shawn Sheehan), Congresswoman Lasko (Matthew Simon), Congressman Schweikert (Katherina Dimonstein), Congressman Gallego (Mariel Jorgensen). Congressman Gosar’s staffer (Rory Burke) would not schedule but did ask that materials be dropped at the office.
Senator Sinema (Michael Wong) and Senator McSally are in progress.
Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of Impact Aid.
Larry E. Wallen, Executive Director
The President budget requests an “unprecedented level of resources to promote school choice,” with Secretary DeVos’s tuition tax credit plan. The proposal would create up to $5 billion a year in new tax credits for individuals and businesses that donate to scholarships to pay for private school tuition or other education expenses. Such a proposal will drain dollars from the public education system and could lead to long-term deficits in Impact Aid funding.
ASIAA and NAFIS are calling on Congress to disregard the proposed cuts and provide, at a minimum, a $2 million increase to Federal Property and a $50 million increase to Basic Support. This funding would help to fund school districts newly eligible for Federal Property payments as a result of the federal government acquiring more land and restore the LOT payout to FY18 funding levels for Basic Support.
Analysis of the President’s FY2020 Budget.
President’s Budget Would Add More than $10 Trillion to the Debt
Acton Needed: NAFIS Infrastructure Picture Project Aims to Raise Lawmaker Awareness --- (NAFIS News 3/8/2019)
NAFIS is committed to ensuring that the construction needs of federally impacted school districts remain part of the national conversation around infrastructure. We continue to push the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act and to support the Rebuild America's Schools Act, which includes an increase in the Impact Aid construction line item.
To help lawmakers understand how this legislation will benefit their constituents, we are asking NAFIS members to demonstrate the infrastructure needs in their districts. We have prepared a customizable template to help.
What we'd like you to do:
Think about the biggest or most pressing project in your district,
Take a picture of the building or area that needs attention,
Use the NAFIS template to tell the story of why your district needs this project,
Bring your story to the NAFIS Conference, drop it off at the NAFIS registration desk and deliver it to your Members of Congress during your congressional meetings (if you are not coming to the conference, email it directly to your Members of Congress and to NAFIS at anne@nafisdc.org),
As part of your communication with lawmakers, ask them to sponsor the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act
The template is available on the NAFIS website. We appreciate your support in this effort.
Questions? Contact NAFIS Policy & Advocacy Director Leslie Finnan at leslie@nafisdc.org or Communications Director Anne O'Brien at anne@nafisdc.org.
Thank you for attending the NAFIS spring conference. Your voice is needed to ensure adequate funding for Impact Aid.
Ms. Ostgaard, President, has the ASIAA packet for distribution. The Arizona meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2019, at 4:30 - 5:15 in Capital Room B.
Link to conference information:
- 2019-03-18 - ASIAA Notice of Meeting and Agenda
- ASIAA Congressional Packet
- ASIAA Capital Hill Visitation Schedule
- ASIAA Brochure
- 2019 Spring Conference Webinar - NAFIS
- 116th Congress Staff Briefing - NAFIS
- NAFIS Spring Conference Tentative Program
- NAFIS Webinar 116th Congress
- Impact-Aid Payments Infographic FY2017
- Basic Support Blue Book - Arizona
Hill visits are scheduled. Congress will be in Arizona during the conference. I am scheduling meetings with staffers. Confirmed is Congresswoman Kirkpatrick (Camen Frias), Congressman Biggs (Greg Safsten), Congressman O’Halleran (Edgar Rivas), Congressman Grijalva (Shawn Sheehan), Congresswoman Lasko (Matthew Simon), Congressman Schweikert (Katherina Dimonstein), Congressman Gallego (Mariel Jorgensen). Congressman Gosar’s staffer (Rory Burke) would not schedule but did ask that materials be dropped at the office.
Senator Sinema (Michael Wong) and Senator McSally are in progress.
Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of Impact Aid.
Larry E. Wallen, Executive Director
President's FY20 Budget To Be Released Next Week - ( (NAFIS News 3/8/2019)
On Monday, President Trump will release the third budget proposal of his presidency, his FY20 proposal. Because of the government shutdown, the budget proposal - which is typically released in February - has been delayed and will likely not be complete when released. We expect Monday's release to feature top-level talking points and the broad theme of the proposal. Each department's program-level breakdown and justification are expected to trickle out over the following weeks.
We are expecting broad cuts to education programs because the President has promised to abide by the budget caps that hit again in FY20. In previous years he and other Presidents have eliminated the 7002 Federal Property program, and last year he proposed cuts to the 7003 Basic Support program.
NAFIS hosted a webinar on March 6, 2019, providing an update for FY20 funding, infrastructure legislation and important details about the 2019 Spring Conference. The slides are available at this link. This information is vital to advocating for Impact Aid. Please study the slides to help with your presentations in Washington.
Topics include:
We are expecting broad cuts to education programs because the President has promised to abide by the budget caps that hit again in FY20. In previous years he and other Presidents have eliminated the 7002 Federal Property program, and last year he proposed cuts to the 7003 Basic Support program.
NAFIS hosted a webinar on March 6, 2019, providing an update for FY20 funding, infrastructure legislation and important details about the 2019 Spring Conference. The slides are available at this link. This information is vital to advocating for Impact Aid. Please study the slides to help with your presentations in Washington.
Topics include:
- Sequestration - FY20-FY23 Sequestration returns
- Increase to FY20 Impact Aid funding - $52 million
- Sponsor the Impact Aid infrastructure Act
- Impact Aid Coalition
- Infrastructure Picture Project
- Steps for a Successful NAFIS Conference
Post to Your Calendar
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 17-19, 2019 | NAFIS Spring Conference | Washington, DC. |
| March 30 - April 1, 2019 | NSBA Annual Conference | Philadelphia, PA |
| March 18, 2019 | ASIAA General Meeting - DC | Washington, DC |
| June 2-5, 2019 | ASA/ASBA 2019 Institute of Excellence | Flagstaff, Az |