Advocating for Latino Education: Your Voice in the Federal Spending Bill
By: Erica Romero, VP, Education Policy and Advocacy
Every day you can take actions, both big and small, to advocate for an education system that prioritizes Latino students, teachers, and families. The most common include voting in local elections, showing up to school board meetings, or attending a parent teacher conference. But did you know that your voice also matters, and is needed, when it comes to the federal government’s spending bill, and what Congress decides to spend on education?
Congress is currently negotiating its federal spending bill, commonly referred to as the appropriations bill, which provides money to carry out critical government programs and services, including education. This federal spending bill will have critical implications on the opportunities and programs that are offered or denied to Latino students over the next twelve months. The availability of programs like work study, early childhood education programs, teacher preparation programs, and programs that support English Language Learners – to name just a few – are all impacted by the federal spending bill and that is why it’s important to closely monitor what Congress includes and eliminates within its spending bill.
It’s also critically important that you make your voices heard, and let your federal representatives know about the services and programs that Latino students need in order to succeed within our education system, and ask them to fund these programs.
This year’s spending bill currently includes several drastic cuts to early education, K-12, and higher education. The version that the House of Representatives is debating would:
- Cut 80 percent of funding to Title I schools, which are schools serving our neediest students.
- Eliminate teacher preparation programs, including those that support diversifying the teacher workforce.
- Eliminate funding for English Language Acquisition grants
- Eliminate both Federal Work Study (FWS) and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
The version that the Senate is better but not enough. It would:
- Increase funding for Title I schools by one percent
- Level fund teacher preparation programs
- Slightly increase funding for English Language Acquisition grants
- Cut both FWS and SEOG by $10 million each.
We know that cuts to education funding, and the programs listed above, would negatively impact Latino students, families, and future teachers. That is why Congress needs to hear from YOU!
At Latinos for Education, we have been working to build a national movement of Latinos advocating for Latino education issues and funding priorities both at the local and federal level. One of our core values is “Agitate when necessary” and this is the perfect opportunity to live that value by sending a letter to your federal representative to express your concerns about the federal spending bill.
Your member needs to hear from you and know that any cuts to education will impact students, teachers and families in their own neighborhoods.
Our collective voices are urgently needed to make sure we get additional funding for our students to succeed. Con Ganas, We Can!
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Erica Romero serves as Vice President of Education Policy and Advocacy at Latinos for Education in Washington, DC. She is responsible for providing thought leadership, policy analysis, policy development, and cultivating key partner relations with decision makers and influencers in the federal education space.
She previously served as Assistant Vice President of State Advocacy at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, as well as Vice President of External Relations at the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. She is a graduate of both UC Berkeley and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
