Brainerd (Minn.) Dispatch
Klobuchar, Smith co-sign letter urging studies of K-12 enrollment spending
By The Brainerd Dispatch
Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith joined Sens Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and 15 Senate colleagues in encouraging the U.S. Department of Education to expand its planned study of federal K-12 education spending to include dual and concurrent enrollment programs and early college high schools.
In their letter, the senators urged the department to examine utilization, outcomes and best practices of college in high school programs that receive funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The most recent reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act passed on a bipartisan basis in 2015.
“As strong supporters of college in high school programs such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and early college high school programs, we write to urge the U.S. Department of Education to examine how school districts are using federal funding opportunities created by the Every Student Succeeds Act to support increasing student access to high quality programs that promote academic success,” the letter states. “(The act) recognizes the important roles that these college in high school programs can play in preparing students — particularly those from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds — for success in college and career. Through these programs, high school students gain exposure to the academic challenges of college, earning transcripted, transferable college credit often at reduced or no tuition cost.”
“An examination by the Department of school districts’ use of funds to support college in high school programs would be timely and help inform future policymaking to ensure more low-income and underrepresented students have access to these successful models,” the letter continues to state.
In December 2019, the Department of Education announced its plan to analyze the dollars spent by 400 of the nation’s school districts on five programs (Part A of Titles I, II, III and IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and Title I, Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). This analysis would be the government’s first education spending study of its kind to occur since 2009.
In addition to Klobuchar, Smith, Warner and Portman, the letter was sent by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; John Boozman, R-Ariz.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Cory Gardner, R-Colo.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; Doug Jones., D-Ala.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Bernie Sanders. I-Vt.; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.