NEW LEADERS COMMENDS SENATORS FOR ADVOCATING FOR FY20 SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FUNDING
New Leaders is pleased that a congressional coalition has called for FY 2020 funding for the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program (Title II, Part A) and the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program (SLRSP), the only federal program specifically focused on investing in evidence-based, locally-driven strategies to strengthen school leadership in high-need schools.
In a letter from April 15, 2019, Members of the U.S. Senate, led by Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), asked leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to fund Title II at $2.295 billion and SLRSP at $14.5 million in the FY 2020 appropriations bill.
In the letter, the 40 Senators emphasize that fully funding Title II “will support momentum at the state level to use these dollars more effectively by encouraging states, districts, and schools to move forward with plans to invest in evidence-based, locally-driven strategies to strengthen school leadership.”
The Senators further highlight that SLRSP “has seeded principal training and support programs with a
demonstrated track record of effectiveness,” and they urge their colleagues to restore funding for the program, which was reauthorized with bipartisan support under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
“Support for SLRSP and Title II, Part A is essential because strong school leaders have an outsized effect on student achievement, dramatically improving the quality of teaching, creating positive school environments and raising student achievement in a school,” the letter continues. “By leveraging new pathways to prepare and support outstanding educators to lead our schools, SLRSP and Title II, Part A-supported leadership strategies can amplify other investments in educator quality and lead to improved outcomes for teachers, students, and families.”
New Leaders thanks these Senators for their strong support of and commitment to school leadership.