[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 133 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 133
Expressing support for the local public K-12 schools of the United
States and condemning any actions that would defund public education or
weaken or dismantle the Department of Education.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24, 2025
Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Padilla, Mr. Peters, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Welch,
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Markey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Warnock, Mr.
Wyden, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Heinrich, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the local public K-12 schools of the United
States and condemning any actions that would defund public education or
weaken or dismantle the Department of Education.
Whereas the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et
seq.) (referred to in this preamble as the ``ESEA'') defines free public
education as education that is ``provided at public expense, under
public supervision and direction, and without tuition charge'' and
``provided as elementary or secondary education in the applicable State
or to preschool children'';
Whereas publicly funded local K-12 schools serve millions of students and
families, including in rural and geographically isolated areas,
providing economic opportunity for all;
Whereas 90 percent of students in prekindergarten through 12th grade in the
United States attend a public school, as well as 95 percent of students
with disabilities;
Whereas State and local funding for public K-12 schools varies dramatically
within States and across the United States, creating additional need
among schools in under-resourced communities;
Whereas the role of the Federal Government in public education has historically
been to level the playing field by creating equity of opportunity for
all students, regardless of their background, ability, or the State in
which they are educated;
Whereas Federal funding plays a critical role in narrowing funding gaps for
disadvantaged student groups, providing integrated and wraparound
supports for students and families, and helping students meet
challenging State academic standards and succeed in education and the
workforce;
Whereas 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the ESEA and the 50th anniversary of
the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)
(referred to in this preamble as the ``IDEA'');
Whereas the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.),
enacted in 1979, declares ``that the establishment of a Department of
Education is in the public interest, will promote the general welfare of
the United States, will help ensure that education issues receive proper
treatment at the Federal level, and will enable the Federal Government
to coordinate its education activities more effectively'';
Whereas the Department of Education serves approximately 100,000 public K-12
schools across the country, which collectively educate more than
49,000,000 students;
Whereas reading and math scores and college degree attainment have substantially
increased since the Department of Education was established;
Whereas the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights enforces Federal
laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment, and has investigated
record numbers of incidents of discrimination and hate in recent years
despite employing only about half of the staff the Office had when it
was originally established;
Whereas the Department of Education administers grants under the IDEA to help
public schools serve more than 7,500,000 students with disabilities, a
substantial financial commitment that cannot reasonably be assumed by
State or local governments, and provides monitoring and oversight to
hold States accountable for providing a free appropriate public
education for students with disabilities;
Whereas the Department of Education provides equitable supplementary funding
through grants under part A of title I of the ESEA to more than 51,000
public schools serving concentrated populations of students from low-
income families in rural, suburban, and urban communities;
Whereas the Department of Education provides funding through subtitle B of title
VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et
seq.) to support the identification, enrollment, attendance, and success
of nearly 1,400,000 students experiencing homelessness;
Whereas the Department of Education administers grants under part C of the IDEA
to support the delivery of early intervention services to over 900,000
infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities;
Whereas the Department of Education directly invests in the special education
teachers of the United States through grants under part D of the IDEA to
support personnel development to improve services and results for
children with disabilities;
Whereas the Department of Education supports parent training and information
centers under part D of the IDEA to help students with disabilities and
their families understand their rights and navigate the special
education process;
Whereas the Department of Education directly invests in people with disabilities
to pursue post-secondary education, competitive, integrated employment,
and independent living by providing vocational rehabilitation services
through Title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 720 et
seq.);
Whereas the Department of Education provides protections from disability-based
discrimination for students and staff in any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance, so all individuals with
disabilities can access equal education and employment opportunities.
Whereas the Department of Education provides funding under part F of title IV of
the ESEA to support full-service community schools, which partner with
local stakeholders, parents, and families to provide commonsense,
locally-driven solutions to the challenges students and families face,
and are another major step forward in reclaiming the promise of public
education;
Whereas the Department of Education provides vital support to thousands of rural
school districts through the Rural Education Achievement program under
part B of title V of the ESEA, which funds both the Small, Rural School
Achievement grant program and the Rural and Low-Income School grant
program;
Whereas the Department of Education directly invests in the quality and
effectiveness of nearly 90 percent of teachers and approximately 20
percent of school leaders nationwide through grants under part A of
title II of the ESEA, ultimately improving retention rates, addressing
the nationwide educator shortage, and improving student achievement;
Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help more
than 5,000,000 English language learners achieve language proficiency
and meet State academic standards through grants under part A of title
III of the ESEA;
Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help tens
of thousands of public schools provide well-rounded education,
technology support, and school safety measures through grants under
parts A, B, and F of title IV of the ESEA;
Whereas the Department of Education provides funds to strengthen and support
career and technical education programs for more than 8,200,000
secondary students across the country through title I of the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2321 et
seq.);
Whereas the Department of Education provides grants under part E of title IV of
the ESEA to support the work of Statewide Family Engagement Centers,
which carry out parent education initiatives, family engagement
programs, and family-school partnerships;
Whereas the Department of Education provides necessary oversight so that
students have access to targeted interventions and services;
Whereas the Department of Education provides protections from sex-based
discrimination for students and staff in any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance, so all individuals can
access equal educational and employment opportunities;
Whereas the Department of Education invests in research to understand and
disseminate information about the interventions and practices that are
most effective at providing excellent educational opportunities for all
students;
Whereas the Department of Education employs the smallest staff of any Cabinet
agency, with the lowest overall staff-to-budget ratio of all 15
Departments;
Whereas dismantling or relocating any major offices within the Department of
Education may substantially disrupt program administration and create a
delay or loss of vitally important funding for public schools across the
United States; and
Whereas, without Federal investment, State and local educational agencies would
be forced to enact drastic funding cuts that will disproportionately
affect students from rural areas, low-income families, students of
color, and students with disabilities, as well as harm United States
competition in the global economy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) strongly supports Federal investment in public K-12
schools and the students and families served by such schools;
(2) affirms that the Department of Education plays a vital
role in the public education system of the United States;
(3) affirms that the Federal Government's investment is
important to the success of public schools, and investment in
public education should not be diverted, including through the
use of vouchers, to privately-run K-12 schools; and
(4) condemns any executive or legislative action that
would--
(A) dismantle or relocate major offices within the
Department of Education;
(B) dismantle or relocate the Department of
Education; or
(C) reduce Federal funding for public education,
block major Federal grant programs for education, or
transfer funding burdens for education to State and
local governments.
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