[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1072-S1076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Burns, 
        Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Allard, Mr. Hagel, 
        Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Johnson):
  S. 253. A bill to reauthorize the Rural Education Initiative in 
subspart 2 of part J of title X of the Elementary and

[[Page S1073]]

Secondary Education Act of 1965; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Rural 
Education Improvement Act. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues, 
Senators Conrad, Gregg, Hutchinson, Enzi, Hagel, Roberts, Dorgan, 
Thomas, Allard, Burns, and Johnson, as original cosponsors of this 
common sense, bipartisan proposal to help rural schools make better use 
of federal education funds. I also want to acknowledge the valuable 
assistance provided over the past two years by the American Association 
of School Administrators.
  Last Congress, I introduced the Rural Education Initiative Act--the 
foundation for today's legislation. I am pleased that the REIA was 
largely incorporated into the final appropriations bill, thus allowing 
small, rural school districts to combine funds from four formula grant 
programs, giving them the flexibility to target funds toward their 
students' most pressing needs. While the passage of this bill 
represented substantial progress, it was a one-year authorization only, 
and no appropriations were provided for the supplemental grant program 
authorized by the new law.
  Mr. President, the bill we introduce today strengthens the 
legislation enacted last year. The Collins-Conrad bill would provide a 
5-year authorization of the rural education provisions enacted last 
year and authorize $150 million annually for the supplemental grant 
program.
  Our legislation would benefit school districts with fewer than 600 
students in rural communities. More than 35 percent of all school 
districts in the United States have 600 or fewer students. In Maine, 
the percentage is even higher: 56 percent of our 284 school districts 
have fewer than 600 students. Our legislation would help them overcome 
some of the most challenging obstacles they face in participating in 
federal education programs.
  By way of background, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
authorizes formula and competitive grants that help many of our local 
school districts to improve the education of their students. These 
federal grants support such laudable goals as the professional 
development of teachers, the incorporation of technology into the 
classroom, gifted and talented programs, and class size reduction. 
Schools receive categorical grants, each with its own authorized 
activities and regulations, each with its own red tape and paperwork. 
Unfortunately, as valuable as these programs may be for many large 
urban and suburban school districts, they often do not work well in 
rural areas for two major reasons.
  First, formula grants often do not reach small, rural schools in 
amounts sufficient to achieve the goals of the programs. These grants 
are based on school district enrollment, and, therefore, smaller 
districts often do not receive enough funding from any single grant to 
carry out a meaningful activity. One Main district, for example, 
received a whopping $28 to fund a district-wide Safe and Drug-free 
School program. This amount is certainly not sufficient to achieve the 
goal of that federal program, yet the school district could not use the 
funds for any other program.
  To give school districts more flexibility to meet local needs, our 
legislation would allow rural districts to combine the funds from four 
categorical programs and use them to address the school district's 
highest priorities.
  The second problem facing many rural school districts is that they 
are essentially shut out of the competitive programs because they lack 
the grant-writers and administrators necessary to apply for, win, and 
manage competitively awarded grants. The Rural Education Improvement 
Act would remedy this program by providing small, rural districts with 
a formula grant in lieu of eligibility for the competitive programs of 
the ESEA.
  A district would be able to combine this new supplemental grant with 
the funds from the formula grants and use the combined monies for any 
purposes that would improve student achievement or teaching quality. 
Districts might use these funds to hire a new reading or math teacher, 
fund professional development, offer a program for gifted and talented 
students, or purchase computers or library books.
  Let me give you a specific example of what these two initiatives 
would mean for one school Maine School District in Northern Maine with 
400 students from the towns of Frenchville and St. Agatha receives four 
separate formula grants ranging from $1,904 for Safe and Drug Free 
Schools to $9,542 under the Class Size Reduction Act. You can see the 
problem right there. The amounts of the grants are so small that they 
really are not useful in accomplishing the goals of the program. The 
total for all four programs is just under $16,000. Yet, each must be 
applied for separately, used for different--federally mandated--
purposes, and accounted for independently.
  Superintendent Jerry White told me that he needs to submit eight 
separate reports, for four programs, to receive this $16,000. Under our 
bill, this school district would be freed from the multiple 
applications and reports and would have $16,000 to use for its 
educational priorities.
  Moreover, since this district does not have the resources to apply 
for the competitive grant programs, our legislation would result in a 
supplemental grant of $34,000 as long as the District foregoes its 
eligibility for the competitively awarded grants. Under the Rural 
Education Improvement Act, therefore, the District will have $50,000 
and the flexibility to use these funds for its most pressing needs.
  But with this flexibility and additional funding come responsibility 
and accountability. In return for the advantages our bill provides, 
participating districts would be held accountable for demonstrating 
improved student performance over a 3-year period. Schools will be held 
responsible for what is really important--improved student 
achievement--rather than for time-consuming paperwork. As 
Superintendent White told me, ``Give me the resources I need plus the 
flexibility to use them, and I am happy to be held accountable for 
improved student performance. It will happen.''
  Mr. President, we must improve our educational system without 
requiring every school to adopt a plan designed in Washington and 
without imposing overly burdensome and costly regulations in return for 
federal assistance. Our bill would allow small, rural districts to use 
their own strategies for improvement without the encumbrance of onerous 
federal regulations and unnecessary paperwork.
  Congress took an important step last year by recognizing that small, 
rural districts face challenges in using federal programs to help 
provide a quality education for their students. Due to our efforts last 
year, the law now reflects Congress's intention to provide these 
districts more flexibility and additional funding. This legislation 
will move us from intention to implementation by providing sustained 
support, flexibility, and funding for our rural schools.
  I am pleased that this legislation has been endorsed by the American 
Association of School Administrators, National Rural Education 
Association, the Association of Educational Service Agencies, and the 
National Education Association, and I ask unanimous consent that 
endorsement letters be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:
                                                    National Rural


                                        Education Association,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Senator Susan Collins,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Collins: The National Rural Education 
     Association would like to applaud your recognition of the 
     unique hardships that face small, rural schools in respect to 
     their federal funding. Along with U.S. Senators Kent Conrad, 
     D-ND; Judd Gregg, R-NH; Conrad Burns, R-MT; Chuck Hagel, R-
     NE; Michael Enzi, R-WY; Pat Roberts, R-KS; and Tim Johnson, 
     D-SD; and Byron Dorgan, D-ND, you have reintroduced 
     legislation that would ensure that small rural schools get a 
     baseline amount of federal funding.
       Currently, many small and rural schools are at a 
     disadvantage when they receive their ESEA funding. Federal 
     funding formulas are based on enrollment, which prevent small 
     schools from receiving adequate resources. Due to the small 
     numbers of students, these schools rarely receive enough 
     combined funds to hire a teacher. Small schools also lack the 
     administrative capacity to apply for competitive grants. This 
     puts small rural schools on unequal federal footing with many 
     of their urban and suburban counterparts.

[[Page S1074]]

       Last December, your Rural Education Initiative was included 
     in the omnibus appropriations bill. The new law allows 
     districts to commingle some of the federal funds they receive 
     and use them in areas to improve student achievement and 
     professional development. In addition, it included 
     legislation that would provide a minimum of $20,000 to 
     schools of 600 or less. These are the same schools are 
     typically receiving approximately $5,000 from the federal 
     government.
       By setting a baseline amount and allowing schools to 
     commingle the funds, the local school district will have the 
     opportunity to hire a specialist, provide signing bonuses to 
     teachers, extend after school opportunities and enhance many 
     other aspects of the small school budget. Most of all, it 
     would enable the school to provide an education consistent 
     with local needs.
       Once again, we would like to extend our grateful thanks for 
     your leadership on this issue. We urge the full Senate to 
     reauthorize and fully fund this legislation on behalf of 
     those schools who are too small to be heard.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Mary Conk,
     Legislative Analyst.
                                  ____

                                              American Association


                                     of School Administrators,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Collins: On behalf of the American Association 
     of School Administrators, representing more than 14,000 
     school system leaders, we would like to express our support 
     for your bill reauthorizing the Rural Education Initiative. 
     Your hard work and commitment to rural schools last congress 
     improved federal education programs for all of the small 
     isolated schools throughout rural America. The changes 
     proposed in your reauthorization bill would improve upon last 
     year's effort by providing more flexibility and increased 
     funding for small isolated schools. Thank you for your 
     continuing advocacy on behalf of rural schoolchildren and 
     rural communities.
       Currently small and rural school districts find it 
     difficult to compete with larger districts for hundreds of 
     millions of dollars in federal education competitive grants. 
     Small, isolated districts receive well below their share of 
     competitive grants, usually because they lack the 
     administrative staff to apply for grants. The problem is 
     compounded by shortcomings of federal formula programs. 
     Federal education programs allocate funds based on 
     enrollment, typically providing very little revenue to the 
     smallest schools. The Collins-Conrad Rural Education 
     Initiative would level the playing field by ensuring that 
     each small district receives at least enough funding to hire 
     a teacher or a specialist.
       Studies in individual states and the National Assessment of 
     Educational Progress document the difficulties of small, 
     rural school districts:
       Difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers, and 
     administrators,
       Inability to offer advanced academic or vocational courses,
       Disproportionate spending on transportation,
       Loss of a sense of community when schools are consolidated, 
     and
       Inability to process all the federally required paperwork 
     normally required of recipients.
       The Rural Education Initiative would help small/rural 
     districts by providing enough school improvements funds to 
     implement real change. Rural and small school districts would 
     be eligible for grants of $20,000 to $60,000 depending upon 
     enrollment. Although the program was passed into law last 
     year, it has not yet been funded. More than 4,000 small and 
     rural school districts benefit from the flexibility provided 
     in last year's program; those same 4,000 districts will be 
     able to advance even greater improvements when the program is 
     reauthorized and appropriated.
       The funds would be used to enhance the reading and math 
     proficiency of students; to provide an education consistent 
     with local needs; and to enable small/rural communities to 
     prepare young people to compete in the emerging knowledge-
     based economy.
       The Association is grateful to you, Kent Conrad, R-ND; Judd 
     Gregg, R-NH; Conrad Burns, R-MT; Chuck Hagel, R-NE; Michael 
     Enzi, R-WY; Pat Roberts, R-KS; Tim Johnson, D-SD; and Byron 
     Dorgan, D-ND for their advocacy on behalf of rural school 
     children. We urge the full Senate to embrace and fund this 
     important legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Jordan Cross,
     Legislative Specialist.
                                  ____

                                                    Association of


                                 Educational Service Agencies,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Collins: On behalf of the Association of 
     Education Service Agencies, we would like to express our 
     gratitude for your work on the Rural Education Initiative. 
     Your efforts during the 106th Congress helped rectify many of 
     the inequalities that disadvantage small school districts. By 
     increasing the flexibility of federal education programs, 
     local districts can now make better use of federal dollars. 
     This year, you have taken that effort one step further with 
     the reauthorization of the Rural Education Initiative. The 
     Collins-Conrad reauthorization proposal would complete last 
     year's goal by ensuring that small rural schools are treated 
     fairly by federal formula programs and funded at an adequate 
     level.
       Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) are intermediate units 
     that frequently provide assistance to small and rural schools 
     that do not have the administrative staff to operate some 
     education programs in-house. When a small rural school 
     district receives a tiny federal education, ESAs often 
     facilitate consortia to make better use of federal funds. 
     ESAs are the primary source of professional development and 
     technology assistance to rural schools. The members of our 
     association understand first-hand the particular needs of 
     rural districts; your proposal offers the best hope for 
     accommodating those needs and the best means for improving 
     rural education.
       Rural schoolchildren deserve to benefit from the federal 
     education programs enjoyed by urban and suburban students. We 
     thank you for your work on the Rural Education Initiative, 
     and we offer our full support.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bruce Hunter,
     Legislative Specialist.
                                  ____



                               National Education Association,

                                 Washington, DC, January 31, 2001.

Statement of the National Education Association in Support of the Rural 
                          Education Initiative

       The National Education Association's (NEA) supports the 
     concepts included in the Rural Education Initiative (REI), 
     introduced today in the United States Senate by Senators 
     Collins and Conrad.
       NEA research demonstrates the need for increased emphasis 
     on meeting the needs of rural schools. For example, 49 
     percent of the nation's public schools, teaching 40 percent 
     of the nation's students, are located in rural areas and 
     small towns. Yet, schools in rural and small towns receive 
     only 22 percent of total federal, state, and local education 
     spending. In addition, federal funding formulas often provide 
     rural and small towns with small allotments that afford 
     little or no actual assistance but require significant 
     paperwork.
       The Rural Education Initiative represents an important step 
     toward addressing the unique problems associated with 
     education in small towns and rural areas. We encourage its 
     passage into law.

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join my distinguished 
colleagues, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Judd Gregg, to introduce 
the Rural Education Initiative (REI). We introduced similar 
legislation, S. 1225, during the 106th Congress to respond to a number 
of challenges facing small, rural schools, and I am pleased that we 
were successful in incorporating some of the major the provisions of S. 
1225 in the FY 2001 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This Congressional 
action will provide flexibility for school officials from small, rural 
schools to make better use of Federal education funds for critical 
educational needs at the local level.
  Under Public law 106-1033, Congress authorized school districts with 
fewer than 600 students, and a Department of Education (DOE) Locale 
Code designation of 7 or 8 to combine funding from four Federal 
education programs (Titles, II, IV, VI and Class Size Reduction) and 
use that funding to supplement Federal education programs under Titles 
I, II, IV, and VI. Congress also authorized, although was not able to 
fund, supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to assist small, rural 
school districts develop programs to improve academic achievement and 
the quality of instruction. Funding the supplemental grants program in 
the Rural Education Initiative is a major priority during consideration 
of the Elementary and Secondary Reauthorization in the 107th Congress.
  Today, we are re-introducing legislation to extend the authority 
under the Rural Education Initiative in P.L. 106-1033 for a five-year 
period to permit small, rural school districts to continue to have 
flexibility in the use of funds from a limited number of Federal 
education programs. This bill will also authorize $150 million for 
supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to rural schools to improve 
student achievement, provide professional development opportunities for 
educators or undertake education reform activities. School districts 
with fewer than 600 students and with a DOE Locale Code of 7 or 8 will 
be eligible to participate in the REI program.
  I am particularly pleased that the Rural Education Initiative has 
received bipartisan support and is cosponsored today by Senators 
Collins, Gregg, Hagel, Enzi, Hutchinson, Dorgan, Roberts, Burns, 
Johnson, and Thomas. The Rural Education Initiative is

[[Page S1075]]

also being endorsed by the American Association of School 
Administrators, the National Education Association, the National Rural 
Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service 
Agencies.
  Mr. President, small rural schools face a growing number of unique 
challenges because of declining school age populations, aging 
facilities, and significant distances and remote locations for many 
rural school districts. While increased Federal education funding and 
targeting of these funds has been very helpful for rural school 
districts, these efforts alone are not responding sufficiently to the 
needs of many small, rural schools.
  Many rural schools, for example, while recognizing the importance of 
new initiatives like Class Size Reduction, are already at the levels 
recommended under the Class Size Reduction Initiative. Under current 
law, rural schools have only limited flexibility to use Class Size 
funds to meet other local education priorities. In many instances, the 
Class Size funds and allocations from a number of other Federal formula 
programs are not sufficient to permit effective use of the funds by the 
rural district.

  Additionally, although rural schools are able to apply for DOE 
competitive grant programs, rural schools are not able to compete as 
effectively as some urban and suburban schools because limited 
resources do not permit many smaller, rural districts to hire 
specialists to prepare grant applications to compete for these funds. 
In some cases, the only option for a smaller district is to form a 
consortium with other schools to qualify for sufficient funding.
  The difficulties accessing DOE competitive grant funds by rural 
schools are summed up well by Elroy Burkle, Superintendent of the 
Starkweather Public School District, a district with 131 students. 
Burkle remarked, ``schools districts have lost their ability to access 
funds directly, and as a result of forming these consortiums in order 
to access these monies, it is my opinion, we have lost our individual 
ability to utilize these monies in an effective manner that would be 
conducive to promoting the educational needs of our individual 
schools.''
  Mr. President, the Rural Education Initiative responds to many of the 
concerns of Elroy Burkle and thousands of other school officials from 
smaller, rural school districts. The REI authorizes flexibility for 
local schools officials to more effectively use certain DOE formula 
funds. The legislation also authorizes supplemental grant funding for 
rural school districts who are not in a position to apply for some DOE 
competitive grant programs and in need additional funds for programs to 
improve student achievement or provide professional development 
opportunities for educators.
  As we begin our debate in the 107th Congress on the education 
proposals recently presented by President Bush and reauthorization of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it's very important that we 
consider the Rural Education Initiative as part of this debate. No 
issue is more important for rural America than the future of our 
schools. We must make certain that Federal education dollars are 
available to assist small, rural schools to provide the best education 
opportunities for children in rural America.
  I commend Senator Collins for taking the lead again in the 107th 
Congress on this important education issue. I also congratulate the 
American Association of School Administrators and the National 
Education Association for their leadership on rural education issues 
and the development of this important rural education initiative. I 
strongly urge the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
to carefully examine the many concerns of schools in rural America and 
to support reauthorization of the Rural Education Initiative that was 
adopted during the 106th Congress.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the endorsements of the 
Rural Education Initiative from the American Association of School 
Administrators, the National Education Association the National Rural 
Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service 
Agencies be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

Statement of the National Education Association in Support of the Rural 
                          Education Initiative

       The National Education Association's (NEA) supports the 
     concepts included in the Rural Education Initiative (REI), 
     introduced today in the United States Senate by Senators 
     Collins and Conrad.
       NEA research demonstrates the need for increased emphasis 
     on meeting the needs of rural schools. For example, 49 
     percent of the nation's public schools, teaching 40 percent 
     of the nation's students, are located in rural areas and 
     small towns. Yet, schools in rural and small towns receive 
     only 22 percent of total federal, state, and local education 
     spending. In addition, federal funding formulas often provide 
     rural and small towns with small allotments that afford 
     little or no actual assistance but require significant 
     paperwork.
       The Rural Education Initiative represents an important step 
     toward addressing the unique problems associated with 
     education in small towns and rural areas. We encourage its 
     passage into law.
                                  ____

                                           American Association of


                                        School Administrators,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Hon. Kent Conrad,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Conrad: On behalf of the American Association 
     of School Administrators, representing more than 14,000 
     school system leaders, we would like to express our support 
     for your bill reauthorizing the Rural Education Initiative. 
     Your hard work and commitment to rural schools last congress 
     improved federal education programs for all of the small 
     isolated schools throughout rural America. The changes 
     proposed in your reauthorization bill would improve upon last 
     year's effort by providing more flexibility and increased 
     funding for small isolated schools. Thank you for your 
     continuing advocacy on behalf of rural schoolchildren and 
     rural communities.
       Currently small and rural school districts find it 
     difficult to compete with larger districts for hundreds of 
     millions of dollars in federal education competitive grants. 
     Small, isolated districts receive well below their share of 
     competitive grants, usually because they lack the 
     administrative staff to apply for grants. The problem is 
     compounded by shortcomings of federal formula programs. 
     Federal education programs allocate funds based on 
     enrollment, typically providing very little revenue to the 
     smallest schools. The Collins-Conrad Rural Education 
     Initiative would level the playing field by ensuring that 
     each small district receives at least enough funding to hire 
     a teacher or a specialist.
       Studies in individual states and the National Assessment of 
     Educational Progress document the difficulties of small, 
     rural school districts: Difficulty attracting and retaining 
     quality teachers, and administrators, inability to offer 
     advanced academic or vocational courses, disproportionate 
     spending on transportation, loss of a sense of community when 
     schools are consolidated, and inability to process all the 
     federally required paperwork normally required of recipients.
       The Rural Education Initiative would help small/rural 
     districts by providing enough school improvement funds to 
     implement real change. Rural and small school districts would 
     be eligible for grants of $20,000 to $60,000 depending upon 
     enrollment. Although the program was passed into law last 
     year, it has not yet been funded. More than 4,000 small and 
     rural school districts benefit from the flexibility provided 
     in last year's program; those same 4,000 districts will be 
     able to advance even greater improvements when the program is 
     reauthorized and appropriated.
       The funds would be used to enhance the reading and math 
     proficiency of students; to provide an education consistent 
     with local needs; and to enable small/rural communities to 
     prepare young people to compete in the emerging knowledge-
     based economy.
       The Association is grateful to you, Susan Collins, R-ME; 
     Judd Gregg, R-NH; Conrad Burns, R-MT; Chuck Hagel, R-NE; 
     Michael Enzi, R-WY; Pat Roberts, R-KS; Tim Johnson, D-SD; and 
     Byron Dorgan, D-ND for their advocacy on behalf of rural 
     school children. We urge the full Senate to embrace and fund 
     this important legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Jordan Cross,
     Legislative Specialist.
                                  ____



                         National Rural Education Association,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Senator Kent Conrad,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Conrad: The National Rural Education 
     Association would like to applaud our recognition of the 
     unique hardships that face small, rural schools in respect to 
     their federal funding. Along with U.S. Senators Kent Conrad, 
     D-ND; Judd Gregg, R-NH; Conrad Burns, R-MT; Chuck Hagel, R-
     NE; Michael Enzi, R-WY; Pat Roberts, R-RS; and Tim Johnson, 
     D-SD; and Byron Dorgan, D-ND, you have reintroduced 
     legislation that would ensure that small rural schools get a 
     baseline amount of federal funding.
       Currently, many small and rural schools are at a 
     disadvantage when they receive

[[Page S1076]]

     their ESEA funding. Federal funding formulas are based on 
     enrollment, which prevent small schools from receiving 
     adequate resources. Due to the small numbers of students, 
     these schools rarely receive enough combined funds to hire a 
     teacher. Small schools also lack the administrative capacity 
     to apply for competitive grants. This puts small rural 
     schools on unequal federal footing with many of their urban 
     and suburban counterparts.
       Last December, your Rural Education Initiative was included 
     in the omnibus appropriations bill. The new law allows 
     districts to commingle some of the federal funds they receive 
     and use them in areas to improve student achievement and 
     professional development. In addition, it included 
     legislation that would provide a minimum of $20,000 to 
     schools of 600 or less. These are the same schools typically 
     receiving approximately $5,000 form the federal government.
       By setting a baseline amount and allowing schools to 
     commingle the funds, the local school district will have the 
     opportunity to hire a specialist, provide a signing bonus to 
     teachers, extend after school opportunities and enhance many 
     other aspects of the small school budget. Most of all, it 
     would enable the school to provide an education consistent 
     with local needs.
       Once again, we would like to extend our grateful thanks for 
     your leadership on this issue. We urge the full Senate to 
     reauthorize and fully fund this legislation on behalf of 
     those schools who are too small to be heard.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Mary Conk,
     Legislative Analyst.
                                  ____

                                                    Association of


                                 Educational Service Agencies,

                                  Arlington, VA, February 5, 2001.
     Hon. Kent Conrad,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Conrad: On behalf of the Association of 
     Education Service Agencies, we would like to express our 
     gratitude for your work on the Rural Education Initiative. 
     Your efforts during the 106th Congress helped rectify many of 
     the inequalities that disadvantage small school districts. By 
     increasing the flexibility of federal education programs, 
     local districts can now make better use of federal dollars. 
     This year, you have taken that effort one step further with 
     the reauthorization of the Rural Education Initiative. The 
     Collins-Conrad reauthorization proposal would complete last 
     year's goal by ensuring that small rural schools are treated 
     fairly by federal formula programs and funded at an adequate 
     level.
       Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) are intermediate units 
     that frequently provide assistance to small and rural schools 
     that do not have the administrative staff to operate some 
     education programs in-house. When a small rural school 
     district receives a tiny federal education, ESAs often 
     facilitate consortia to make better use of federal funds. 
     ESAs are the primary source of professional development and 
     technology assistance to rural schools. The members of our 
     association understand first-hand the particular needs of 
     rural districts; your proposal offers the best hope for 
     accommodating those needs and the best means for improving 
     rural education.
       Rural schoolchildren deserve to benefit from the federal 
     education programs enjoyed by urban and suburban students. We 
     thank you for your work on the Rural Education Initiative, 
     and we offer our full support.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bruce Hunter,
                                           Legislative Specialist.

  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, Today I rise in support of the Rural 
Education Initiative introduced by Senator Collins. I am also pleased 
to join my other colleagues from the Health Education Labor and 
Pensions Committee in support of this bill. In a time when the 
education of our nation's youth is a priority, we need to make sure 
that all schools have the opportunity to improve and reform. This 
legislation does just that.
  The Rural Education Initiative Act will allow small rural schools to 
make better use of federal education dollars. In Kansas, 46 percent of 
our school districts have fewer than 600 students. In Utica, Kansas, in 
the Nes Tre La Go Unified School District number 301, there are 34 
elementary students and 39 high school students that make up the entire 
enrollment. Districts like these in Kansas and other rural areas face 
multiple obstacles when obtaining and utilizing federal funds.
  First, they seldom receive enough money from any single grant to make 
a lasting and measurable impact on school improvement. Grants are based 
on school enrollment and the funds doled out to these small districts 
are rarely enough. This bill would allow the merging of splintered 
federal funds so that grant money can be used effectively to meet local 
education priorities. District are granted the freedom to spend the 
funds as they see fit.
  Second, small rural districts do not have the manpower to apply for 
competitive grants. This bill provides a formula grant as an option 
instead of limiting districts to the lengthy and involved application 
process for ESEA competitive grant programs. Under this formula, 
districts don't have to strain their resources simply applying for 
federal funds.
  With this reform and flexibility there will be accountability. 
Districts will be required to demonstrate improved student performance 
using tests they already administer to assess student achievement.
  This bill abolishes undue obstacles rural districts face as they try 
to improve the quality of education in their own schools. I urge my 
colleagues to support this common sense legislation and allow small 
rural districts to obtain federal funds and use them to meet their own 
objectives.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
express my support for Senator Collins' Rural Education Improvement 
Act, a bill that would allow school districts in my state and across 
the nation to more fully benefit from the use of federal grant monies. 
In current formula-based federal grants, some of the amounts rural 
districts receive are so small the school districts an not do anything 
meaningful with them. This ``One-size-fits-all'' policy would be 
remedied under the ``Rural Education Improvement Act,'' which would 
allow several small sums to be joined and spent according to local 
needs. Like Senator Collins, I'm committed to giving parents and local 
school districts more say in how their education dollars are spent. I 
commend the Senator for her efforts in this area and am proud to 
cosponsor this legislation.
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