May 24, 2012

Action Alert: Education Cannot Withstand Further Budget Cuts!

The federal education budget will be automatically cut by 8.4 percent in January unless Congress takes action now to stop it.

Last fall Congress failed to agree on a budget plan to save $1.2 trillion, which triggered the looming across-the-board cuts to education funding (and many other federal programs) in January 2013, right in the middle of the 2012–13 school year.

State and local education budgets have been hit hard by the recession, and educator jobs have been lost, programs cut, class sizes increased, and services and supplies curtailed. Every dollar counts, especially during tough times like this. Federal funding—through programs like Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act—is crucial to supporting disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, professional development, and college and career readiness.

Congress needs to hear from the people who will be most affected by the funding cuts. We urge you to take action immediately. Tell your elected officials that now is not the time to slash federal investments in education. It's not fair to the states, districts, schools, educators, and especially students.

Visit ASCD's Policy Action Center and take advantage of our easy-to-use message system to send an e-mail to your senators and representative.

Please share this message and action request with your colleagues, friends, and community partners.

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