Education is an important priority for Senator Conrad. As Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and a key national spokesman on budget and tax policy, Senator Conrad plays a critical role in determining funding for education. As passed by Congress, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res 21) provides $6.3 billion more than the President's budget proposal for the Department of Education. Senator Conrad will continue his work to provide adequate funding in order to meet the requirements mandated for elementary and secondary education under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). He will also continue his efforts to ensure that adequate federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, is available to North Dakota's college students.

The Challenges Under "No Child Left Behind"
Helping North Dakota's Rural Schools
Funding at Every Educational Level
Paying for Federal Mandates
Information Technology
Finding and Training New Workers
Higher Education
Keeping in Touch

Few federal education laws have had as dramatic an impact on North Dakota schools as No Child Left Behind. Although the intent of the law is commendable - ensuring highly qualified teachers and measuring students' academic achievement - implementation of NCLB has posed many serious challenges.

Enacted in 2002, NCLB set performance standards for students, school officials and educators. Despite assurances of support from the Department of Education, many North Dakota educators believe that they have not been provided realistic funding to meet the federal requirements. Senator Conrad shares that view.

In January 2005, Senator Conrad met with Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Assistant Secretary Ray Simon regarding the Department of Education's determination that many North Dakota teachers were unqualified under NCLB.

After Senator Conrad's meetings with senior federal education officials, the Department of Education reversed its earlier opinion and approved North Dakota's plan for elementary, middle and secondary school teachers. This was an important victory for North Dakota educators who, through high student achievement scores on a national level, have unquestionably demonstrated their high qualifications.

NCLB is due for Congressional reauthorization this year. As this process moves forward, Senator Conrad will continue to work with parents, teachers, administrators, and other education professionals throughout our state to ensure the federal government is an effective partner in the education process. He will also work to ensure that North Dakota, particularly in rural communities, receives the federal resources necessary to continue its outstanding education tradition.

One of the most important education priorities for Senator Conrad is preserving the quality of education in North Dakota's rural schools. More than 88 percent of North Dakota school districts have 600 students or less. These districts face unique challenges.

Senator Conrad responded to the concerns of rural educators by authoring legislation to create the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). This landmark, bipartisan legislation was enacted in 2002. Under the REAP program, many small, rural school districts are entitled to consolidate funding from certain federal education programs to make more efficient use of the funds. Senator Conrad's legislation is critical to giving rural schools flexibility to use federal education funding wisely. The school districts are also eligible for grant assistance that may be used to improve student achievement or provide professional development for teachers.

Earlier this fall, Senator Conrad introduced the REAP Reauthorization Act (S. 2051). The changes included in this legislation will allow federal funds to be even more closely targeted to geographically isolated districts and allow more North Dakota schools to receive financial benefits from the program. Since 2002, more than 120 North Dakota school districts have received more than $4 million in funding. Senator Conrad will continue to fight for adequate funding for this critical rural education program

Senator Conrad has consistently supported a federal budget that gives priority to improving student achievement. He is very concerned that current budget policies underfund No Child Left Behind and cut or eliminate programs important for North Dakota educators, students and parents, including education technology, safe and drug free schools, and career and technical education. The FY 2008 Budget Resolution includes $6.3 billion more funding for the Department of Education than the President's proposal, and restores funding for many education programs that were originally eliminated or significantly cut. As Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Conrad will work to strengthen our nation's investment in our children's future.

Senator Conrad supports the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and recognizes the commitment Congress made to fund its share of these programs. Senator Conrad is committed to fulfilling the federal obligation to assist local communities with program expenses.

Senator Conrad recognizes the opportunities that information technology and the digital age provide students in North Dakota. He is working to ensure that rural America has the same technological opportunities - especially with education and training - that are available to urban and suburban areas. For this reason, he has opposed the President's proposal to eliminate funding for education technology grants provided within the No Child Left Behind Act.

Senator Conrad has also consistently supported the "E-Rate" program to provide affordable access to the Internet for schools and libraries. Since 1998, North Dakota schools and libraries have received over $31 million under this program, including more than $5.4 million in 2006 alone.

Additionally, since hosting an information technology summit in North Dakota in 1998, Senator Conrad has worked to encourage partnerships between leading IT firms, foundations and local school districts. Results of these partnerships include technology-training academies at more than 20 schools across the state and foundation grants totaling more than $700,000 for computers in North Dakota's rural schools.

Congressional passage of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act ranked as another success for Senator Conrad in promoting information technology (IT) training for North Dakotans. Senator Conrad successfully created a Technical Skills Training Grants program in the Department of Labor. This program requires that a portion of funds collected from certain visa applicants be used to provide training in high-level skills where worker shortages exist, including the information technology and health care fields.

Some of the visa funds are also available through the National Science Foundation to help educators improve their skills in math, science and technology. NDSU received one of these grants. Senator Conrad continues to look for legislative opportunities and other ways to partner with the IT community in an effort to prepare all North Dakotans for the future.

In addition to focusing attention on the education needs of K-12 students, Senator Conrad meets regularly with both students and educators from North Dakota universities to make certain that their concerns are heard. It is especially important to Senator Conrad that students have access to federal student assistance programs, and he supported increasing the maximum Pell Grant during Senate consideration of the FY 2007 Funding Resolution. More recently, Senator Conrad also supported the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which will further increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $4,800 in 2008 and $5,400 by 2012. This legislation will also cap monthly student loan payments at 15 percent of discretionary income and cut interest rates on federally subsidized student loans in half over four years, allowing recent graduates to manage their payments more easily.

North Dakota has approximately 46,000 students attending 11 institutions in the university system and private schools that include Jamestown College and the University of Mary. Nearly 12,000 of these students receive Pell Grants, and thousands more participate in federal student aid programs. Senator Conrad is very concerned about the debt that many students carry following graduation. He has consistently supported increases in the maximum Pell Grant, along with other financial aid incentives at the federal level, to help reduce this financial burden and make sure college is affordable for every eligible student.

Keeping in Touch

As part of Senator Conrad's continuing effort to make certain that student concerns are addressed, he meets regularly with students in both North Dakota and in his Washington office. Many of these students participate in Close Up, Presidential Classroom, and the Congressional Youth Leadership Program. Senator Conrad places great value on these meetings. In fact, a number of young North Dakotans have visited Washington through these programs and have returned to serve in internships in Senator Conrad's office in Washington, DC. He also offers internship opportunities in his state offices in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot.

Senator Conrad speaks to students at BM Hanson Elementary School in Harvey, ND.

Science, Math Focus of New Starbase Academy
(11/03/08)

Statements

Fed Support Crucial for ND's Universities, Conrad says

Senator Kent Conrad released a U.S. Senate analysis of federal support for higher education, which found that the North Dakota's public colleges and universities receive a large portion of their annual budget from federal sources in the form of student aid, research contracts and project funding. Click on the links below to read reports on several North Dakota universities.

• North Dakota State University (.pdf)
• University of North Dakota (.pdf)
• Minot State University (.pdf)
• Mayville State (.pdf)
• North Dakota State College of Science (.pdf)