WHEREAS:

President Bush shortchanges education for the third year in a row in his fiscal year 2005 budget by calling for a meager three percent increase from 2004 despite rising school enrollments and inadequate resources to meet our country's growing education needs; and

WHEREAS:

President Bush's FY2005 budget eliminates dozens of key education programs and reduces federal investments in education by $1.4 billion; and

WHEREAS:

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed in 2002 to help schools improve student performance. The new requirements, such as annual testing of students and teacher training, require substantial resources to implement. An increasing number of states are complaining that NCLB is substantially underfunded. For example, Vermont passed a law refusing to implement unfunded federal mandates. The Utah House of Representatives voted not to implement requirements of NCLB unless there is adequate funding. The Utah Senate is considering a bill that would bar state funding for NCLB. In addition, at least 10 states have adopted resolutions critical of the law or have requested waivers from the U.S. Department of Education. A study in Ohio concluded that it would cost the state $1.5 billion over the next 10 years to fully implement the provisions of NCLB; and

WHEREAS:

President Bush shortchanges his own NCLB program by $9.4 billion this year - including a $7.2 billion shortfall for Title I, breaking his promise to provide $20.5 billion for disadvantaged students; and

WHEREAS:

Schools that fail to make measured annual progress under NCLB ultimately may be closed and reopened under private management. However, there is no compelling evidence that privately managed schools contribute to improved student performance; and

WHEREAS:

School voucher plans (or funding formulas or tax-subsidized savings plans that have the same effect as vouchers) are just a form of privatization. These programs take money out of the public school system to fund private education. Voucher plans undermine public education, reduce the support needed to adequately fund public education, and have the potential for racial, economic, and social segregation of children; and

WHEREAS:

The laws that establish charter schools vary from state to state. Charter schools are financed with tax dollars, just like other public schools, but are not necessarily subject to the same rules and regulations and can be public or operated by a private company. Charter schools that operate under less stringent conditions than public schools may serve a political purpose; but they serve no educational purpose, and charter schools may, ultimately, have the same effect on school employees as privatization; and

WHEREAS:

President Bush's budget cuts college aid programs, freezing Pell Grants at the same level for the past three years despite rising tuition costs; and

WHEREAS:

The FY2005 Bush budget proposes a meager $1 billion increase for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which marks the fourth year in a row that the President's budget falls far short of full federal funding and shortchanges the millions of special needs children who rely on programs funded by IDEA; and

WHEREAS:

The six largest companies in the for-profit school market formed a lobbying group in January 2004, The National Council of Education Providers, to represent their interests with the U.S. Congress and the Bush Administration; and

WHEREAS:

Proposals to contract out noninstructional school services are often generated by school districts responding to fiscal difficulties. Those school administrators that propose contracting out to save money and focus on the "mission of teaching students," ignore the integral role non-instructional school workers play in the learning process and environment.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That Congress fully fund NCLB, Title I, IDEA and Pell Grants; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will work to protect public education by opposing all charter school programs that are not publicly-administered, are not under the control of elected school boards, do not include measurable and reported standards, do not include collective bargaining rights for employees, do not require certifications or other qualifications required for jobs in public schools and do not give local school districts the right to approve or disapprove charter schools operating within their boundaries; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME strongly opposes any effort to establish and/or implement voucher plans, or any other program with the same effect, as an attempt to divert public resources to support private education at a time when we need to do all we can to improve our public schools; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will continue to educate the school community, including school board members, about the shortcomings of privatization.

SUBMITTED BY:

JoAnn Johntony, President and Delegate
Sandra Wheeler, Secretary and Delegate
OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4
Ohio