Hahn Votes “No” on Cutting Educational Funding

Washington, DC— On July 19, Rep. Janice Hahn, District 44, voted “no” on the Student Success Act of 2013, which would drastically cut educational funding for vital programs that help disadvantaged students, English learner students and students with special needs.

The bill, written by Republican John Kline, of Minnesota, passed the House of Representatives with a 221-207 vote.

The bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education act, known as the No Child Left Behind Act.

While the Student Success Act requires states to adopt standards in reading and math, the bill does nothing to ensure that state standards are rigorous enough to make sure students graduate from high school. What’s more, the bill does not require states to set targets and goals to evaluate whether schools are improving student achievement and graduation rates.

Similar to the No Child Left Behind Act, the Student Success Act requires states and districts to annually assess students in reading and math and publicly report those results to parents. Beyond that, however, states and districts have a great deal of discretion over what needs to happen to underperforming schools. Chronically underperforming schools can continue to conduct business as usual.

The Student Success Act neglects to close a federal loophole that allows districts to allocate fewer total dollars to high-poverty schools compared to more affluent schools.

The Student Success Act also removes federal requirements that ensure states and districts maintain their share of education funding from year to year.