[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 149 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12687-S12688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
        Bingaman, and Mr. Reed):
  S. 1997. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Energy to establish a 
program of energy assistance grants to local educational agencies; to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

[[Page S12688]]

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing the School Energy 
Crisis Relief Act. This bill would authorize the Secretary of Energy to 
award School Energy Grants to the poorest school districts in each 
State. I am pleased that Senators Schumer, Clinton, and Bingaman have 
joined me in sponsoring this bill.
  With cold weather setting in, people all across the country are 
worried about the sky-high cost of energy. Americans are feeling pain 
at the pump, and they are feeling even more pain at home, with home-
heating costs expected to rise as much as 70 percent above last year's 
levels.
  At the same time, many public school districts across the country are 
struggling to cope with a dramatic, unexpected surge in their energy 
costs. Schools are facing a double hit: they operate large fleets of 
buses, and they must heat large, sprawling buildings. This problem is 
especially acute in the West and Midwest, where many school districts 
cover large geographic areas, and in urban areas, which are burdened 
with some of the nation's oldest and often least energy-efficient 
buildings.
  For affluent suburban districts, these unanticipated energy costs are 
a challenge. But for poor school districts, they are a full-blown 
crisis. Many school boards face a choice between paying their higher 
energy bills or cutting instructional staff and programs.
  My bill would allow the Secretary of Energy to award grants to 
schools districts with the highest percentage and highest number of 
students eligible for Title I assistance. The grant amounts would be 
awarded based on the population of school-age children in the district, 
as well as the regional costs of transportation and heating fuel.
  This is a nationwide crisis, and it calls for an urgent Federal 
response. School districts across the country are already implementing 
drastic measures in response to higher energy costs. In Kentucky, for 
instance, several school districts have cut back to four days of 
classes per week. In September, most of Georgia's schools cancelled 
classes for two days in an effort to conserve energy and cut costs.
  In my State, the Iowa Association of School Boards estimates that, 
this winter, there will be $40 million shortfall in funding to cover 
school heating costs. Higher fuel costs for school buses could worsen 
the shortfall by another $8 million. And because that will come out of 
the fixed general fund for public education, every additional dollar 
spent on energy costs will come at the expense of classroom and 
instructional quality. For example, Charles City, IA, expects to spend 
$140,000 more on fuel this winter. That's enough to pay the salaries of 
four teachers.
  According to the Iowa Association of School Boards, school districts 
are responding to the energy crisis by reducing staff, increasing class 
sizes, reducing course offerings, postponing technology purchases, or 
cutting Headstart transportation programs. Many school districts are 
lowering their thermostats to unhealthful levels. In fact, just 
yesterday, I heard that the school district in Ottumwa, IA, has asked 
parents to start sending kids to school with coats to keep them warm 
indoors. This is just not acceptable.
  In addition, I remind my colleagues that school districts--especially 
high-poverty school districts--are struggling heroically to try to meet 
the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. It is penny wise and 
pound foolish to force these districts to cut instructional staff and 
classroom resources in order to pay their higher energy bills. And none 
of us can be comfortable with the prospect of children sitting at their 
school desks in coats and scarves to fight off the chill. As I said, 
this is just not acceptable.
  The poorest school districts all across America are in desperate need 
of assistance with their energy costs. Low-income children deserve the 
opportunity to learn and achieve in classrooms that are properly 
heated. And we certainly don't want schools to be eliminating school 
days and laying off teachers because of higher energy costs. So we need 
to act. I urge my colleagues to support the School Energy Crisis Relief 
Act so we can respond to this emergency as expeditiously as possible. 
According to the Iowa Association of School Boards, this has led to 
some schools deciding to scale back after-school activities because of 
heating costs and to cut non-varsity sports because they lack funding 
necessary to take them to games. It is very troubling to me that 
schools have been forced to make cuts that have directly affected the 
educational experience of the children in their schools, in the name of 
rising fuel costs. For instance, some schools have had to cut back on 
field trips, put off buying new text books and school supplies, while 
reducing course offerings in fine arts and academics.
  In addition, the Iowa Association of School Boards has reported that 
schools have cut back on staff and increased class sizes while also 
turning down the thermostat in the classroom. I ask, Mr. President, are 
we supposed to expect students to learn at a high-level when rising 
energy costs have put them in overcrowded, cold classrooms?
  But this problem is not specific to my home State of Iowa. As the 
sponsor of companion legislation in the House of Representatives, 
Congressman Joe Baca, pointed out that some schools in Kentucky have 
cut back to four-day school weeks to keep their energy costs down. 
Recently, Georgia schools cancelled two days of classes in an attempt 
to keep their costs down. In Colton Joint Unified District in 
Congressman Baca's congressional district, the price of a gallon of 
diesel fuel has risen from under a dollar at one point to $2.72 a 
gallon increasing annual fuel costs by over $300,000.
  So I have come to the floor today to introduce the School Energy 
Crisis Relief Act. This legislation meets the needs of struggling 
school districts by authorizing the Secretary of Energy to award grants 
to poor school districts struggling to balance skyrocketing energy 
costs with providing a quality education. Grants would be awarded to 
the poorest urban and rural school districts in each state. In Iowa 
alone, this means both poor rural and urban districts would be eligible 
to receive grants.
  I ask for my colleagues support for the School Energy Crisis Relief 
Act and urge the Senate to work quickly to pass this crucial 
legislation and provide relief to those school districts in need.
                                 ______