Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, Congresswoman Kendra Horn (OK-5) led a coalition of House lawmakers calling on congressional leadership to include critical funding for public schools in the next stimulus bill. As the school year begins, and with COVID-19 infections at an alarming high, there is still no national strategy to ensure that children and teachers are safe in the classroom. The letter is cosigned by Representatives Kathy Castor (FL-14), Jim Cooper (TN-5), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Conor Lamb (PA-17), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Tom O’Halleran (AZ-1), and Xochitl Torres Small (NM-2).

Congresswoman Horn’s letter in support of public education is available here.

“As negotiations over the next stimulus continue, I’m fighting to include robust funding for public schools to protect children, teachers, and families,” said Congresswoman Kendra Horn. “America’s public schools are critical infrastructure that provide millions of students with an education as well as wrap-around health and nutrition services.  While the CARES Act provided funding for K-12, unfortunately Secretary Betsy Devos and a number of states, including Oklahoma, misused those funds on expensive private schools. The next stimulus package must ensure public funds go to public schools for PPE, remote learning tools, special education, and the resources needed to keep our children and teachers safe.”

In the CARES Act, Congress distributed $13 billion in education funding to states based on the presence of Title I schools with the intent of helping low-income students with the greatest needs. As teachers and staff worked to close out the academic year at the onset of the pandemic, public schools needed funding to accommodate a rapid shift to online education, restructure nutrition and health services, and provide support to students. Rather than distributing that assistance, the Department of Education and a number of states, including Oklahoma, pursued policies that siphoned vital funding from public schools, sending it instead to expensive private schools with access to their own loan programs and funding sources.

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