Congress has drawn up a number of proposed bills to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says one of them could drastically cut federal funding for Long Island public schools.
No Child Left Behind was signed into law by George W. Bush in 2001. Among other things, it lays out how federal education funding is distributed to the states.
Schumer said on Monday one of the proposed replacements to No Child Left Behind would change the way the federal government gives out more than $14 billion a year in funding. Schumer says under that change, Long Island Public Schools stand to lose $17 million in annual funding for reading and math programs.
Right now, federal school funding is based on a state’s average cost per student, and New York’s cost is higher than most other states. The replacement bill Schumer objects to would base funding on the average national cost per student, which would be lower than New York’s cost, and that would cut New York’s funding.
Schumer said that he plans to fight against the bill. It’s expected hit the Senate floor this week.