Fattah Thanks NEA for Support on Educational Equity

WASHINGTON, July 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) today applauded a bold move by the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, supporting fairness and equity for all of America's children.  

Fattah said, "I want to thank the NEA for their strong support of H.R. 5071, the ESEA Fiscal Fairness Act, a bill I introduced to ensure all students have a meaningful opportunity to learn.  I have been proud to fight alongside the NEA for years to make sure all students have what they need to learn and teachers have what they need to teach.  This is a major step in that fight."

The ESEA Fiscal Fairness Act, which seeks to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, would fix problems in the comparability provision of Title I which is meant to ensure Federal dollars supplement and do not supplant state and local resources and that federal dollars compensate for the additional expense of educating concentrations of children in poverty, instead of subsidizing existing inequities.  The bill is expected to be considered as part of the reauthorization of the ESEA this year.

The legislation has attracted broad support from a number of educational and civil rights organizations including The Education Trust, Center for American Progress, National Council of La Raza and the Schott Foundation for Public Education.  Other supporters include:

Advance Illinois

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Children's Defense Fund

Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights

Civic Builders

ConnCAN

Democrats for Education Reform

Disciples Justice Action Network

Education Equality Project

Education Reform Now

Forum for Youth Investment

Hope Street Group

League of Education Voters

League of United Latin American Citizens

Mass Insight Education and Research Institute

National Council of La Raza

National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators

National Indian Education Association

National Urban League

The Education Trust

The Mind Trust

The New Teacher Project

Oklahoma Business & Education Coalition

The Schott Foundation for Public Education

United Negro College Fund

United Methodist Church, General Board

of Church and Society

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah