Education Leaders Criticize NEA for Politicizing Hurricane Education Relief 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee leaders today criticized the National Education Association (NEA) for its opposition to an education relief proposal designed to aid students, families, and schools impacted by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.  The NEA yesterday circulated a letter opposing a more streamlined approach to hurricane relief, instead arguing that funds should be funneled through multiple layers of education bureaucracy – an approach that may serve the interests of the NEA, but that would only hamper relief efforts for students and schools.

“Once again, the education establishment has elected to put its own interests above the interests of students, families, and individual schools,” said Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH).  “It’s disappointing that even in a time of crisis, the NEA is not willing to relinquish its stranglehold on bureaucracy and consider new ideas to meet the needs of individuals affected by these unprecedented natural disasters.”

"Now is not the time for ideological battles; now is the time to make sure that the children who have been impacted by these devastating storms get the support and aid they deserve,” said Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA).  “We should all be able to agree that the education of our children must not suffer because they have been forced from their homes and schools and I am hopeful that everyone can work together to make sure that the families affected are not further burdened and the communities and schools that have opened their doors to so many students are not financially punished for that generosity."

“The hurricanes have created unprecedented challenges for our educational systems, and that’s why we need a relief effort that moves beyond the status quo,” continued Boehner.  “Unfortunately, the NEA seems to have ruled out innovation and creativity, opting instead to force students, families, and schools to navigate a bureaucracy that simply was not created to respond to the challenges of a disaster of this magnitude.”

Boehner and Jindal yesterday unveiled the details of an innovative proposal for hurricane education relief that would establish Family Education Reimbursement Accounts to reimburse schools.  With more than 300,000 students displaced because of the hurricanes, schools across the nation have opened their doors to welcome these students as their own.  The accounts would provide the easiest, most direct approach to reimbursing the schools that have generously enrolled students in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

Family Education Reimbursement Accounts would offer three key advantages for individuals, schools, and communities impacted by the Gulf Coast hurricanes: simplicity, flexibility, and portability.

• Simplicity for parents and schools.  The accounts would be simple for families to create and simple for schools to receive reimbursement.  Parents would register through the Internet or a toll-free number to create an account for the family for use by each child from pre-K to 12th grade.  The accounts would provide up to $6,700 per child, the average per pupil expenditure in the states enrolling significant numbers of displaced students.  Parents would then provide their account number to the school enrolling the child, and the school would use that information to be reimbursed on behalf of the child.  The accounts would provide for a simple electronic payment for the period a child is enrolled without having to navigate complex payment systems or overcome the hurdles of a bureaucracy that was not created to withstand the challenges of a natural disaster of this magnitude.

• Flexibility through the power of technology.  The accounts would provide greater flexibility than other proposals to aid the affected region by utilizing technology to respond quickly to the changing needs of families and communities.  Parents displaced by the storms have already enrolled their children in whatever schools were willing to open their doors.  These reimbursement accounts would not punish private or charter schools that have opened their doors and enrolled children, often at free or reduced tuition, but would provide the same reimbursement on behalf of all affected children.

• Portability to provide funds directly and efficiently.  The proposal would also provide greater portability for relief funds, ensuring a more efficient use of resources on behalf of students and schools.  For the current school year, schools would be reimbursed quarterly through the accounts based on the number of weeks each child is enrolled.  Rather than forcing welcoming schools to navigate federal, state, and local education bureaucracies, the plan calls for an experienced, independent contractor to act quickly to establish a system that would reimburse schools.  

The accounts would provide a seamless funding process, allowing multiple schools to be reimbursed using the same account with no duplication, no waste, and no complex paperwork or registration process.  At the end of the current school year, the accounts would be closed and any unused funds would be immediately credited back to the federal government.

Additional details about Family Education Reimbursement Accounts are available by clicking here and here.  For more information on efforts to assist students, schools, workers, families, and communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, visit the Education & the Workforce Committee’s “Gulf Coast Hurricanes Rebuilding & Recovery” website at http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/hurricane/hurricane.htm. 

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