Saving the Day at Home

Last week Nita Lowey spent a majority of her time focused on the Syria debates on the Hill. This week, however, as the potential Syrian solution has shifted from Congress to the White House and the UN, Congresswoman Lowey shifted gears and focused attention on pressing education issues in her home district. On September 16th, Lowey met with superintendents and teachers from within her district to show her support for them in their struggle against funding cuts. Some of the schools in Rockland County and Westchester County are slated to lose up to $4 million annually from federal budget cuts and the impact of sequestration.  Students and teachers alike are feeling the effects. Lowey stated “If we want to remain a global leader, we need to help today’s students become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and innovators. We should give our students and teachers the tools to succeed, not make their jobs harder through increases to classroom size and reductions to personnel and enrichment programs. That’s why Congress must come together to agree on a fair and balanced budget plan that invests in our students’ futures” (http://lowey.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-lowey-local-school-officials-blast-impact-of-misguided-budget-cuts-on-lower-hudson-valley-students/). Lowey also made abundantly clear that if the Republicans follow through with their agenda to cut more school funds by up to 22%, the results could be catastrophic to her constituents.

Specifically, the cuts, which could add up to $4.4 million annually for schools within her district and more than $2.6 billion nationally , would affect Title 1 funding. Title 1 has programs for “disadvantaged students and IDEA funding, which helps districts serve students with disabilities” (http://www.lohud.com/article/20130916/NEWS/309160053/Lowey-tells-educators-brace-deep-cuts-federal-spending-video-)  As discussed in last week’s blog post, Nita Lowey has a strong focus on humanitarian aspects of life. That has historically been her area of interest of focus, assessing the consequences each governmental act could have on individuals. Funding for programming in schools across Lowey’s region of representation have already been cut, such as after-school programs and preschool programs.

While last week in the very complex Syria debates Congresswoman Lowey equivocated, rather than strongly supporting one specific solution, this week she clearly and forcefully stated her opinions about the education cuts. It is evident that she cares about her constituents and their education and is on firm footing in this area. According to MidHudson News, Lowey “blasted proposed federal budget cuts in education funding that she said would impact students and teachers in the region."

Lowey said despite the cuts in education, the Republican proposal would lock in the current cuts and further reduce education spending by another 22 percent in 2014.”