[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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