Udall Urges Swift Action to Restore Funds for Colorado School Districts Serving Military, Native American Families
Press Release
Mark Udall urged his colleagues to support Colorado school districts that count on the U.S. Department of Education's Impact Aid Program to retain highly qualified teachers, renovate facilities and meet other critical needs. Udall said a failure to restore full funding to the program, which makes up for funding that school districts lose due to non-taxable military and Native American lands within their boundaries, would undermine local students' quality of education and Colorado's long-term economic growth.
According to Department of Education data, Colorado schools received more than $25 million in Impact Aid Program funds in 2013 alone.
"A failure to restore funding for the Impact Aid Program would hurt rural schools and districts that are already at a disadvantage due to non-taxable lands within their boundaries," Udall said. "The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to help provide a strong educational foundation for military, Native American and rural families. I was proud to lead the successful efforts to restore the Department of Interior's Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program earlier this year and to restore federal mineral leasing revenues last year. The Impact Aid Program is no less important - and my colleagues need to swiftly act to ensure full funding."
"Impact Aid is critical to support the needs of our military students," said Cheryl Serrano, the superintendent for Fountain-Fort Carson School District #8. "Recognizing that the budget situation has been difficult over the past several years, it continues to be very disappointing that school districts across the country have to fight for funding that is a federal obligation. We applaud Senator Udall for standing up for our military families and fighting for the support they deserve."
There are 15 districts across Colorado that depend on Impact Aid funding. The Fountain-Fort Carson School District is the largest recipient, receiving nearly $21 million in the 2013 fiscal year.
Udall was one of 41 senators last week to urge the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee, to restore funding for the Impact Aid Program.
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