Post by Okwes on Apr 26, 2007 11:57:03 GMT -5
Expiration of U.S. law puts rural schools' funding in jeopardy
By Shaya Tayefe Mohajer
the Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona
The quiet expiration of a federal law that last year provided $385 million for schools and roads in some of the nation's most scenic and rural areas has administrators in 41 states wondering how they will keep classrooms staffed.
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, which expired Dec. 31, will cost Arizona nearly $7.3 million if Congress doesn't agree to reauthorize the program by March.
Affected are Apache, Gila, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties because of the Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests.
West Coast states would feel the pain on a much larger scale: Last year the U.S. Forest Service funding program paid Washington more than $42 million and California more than $66 million. Oregon took the lion's share at more than $149 million.
Unless Congress acts soon, school administrators who have depended on the revenue for the past six years may be forced to cut staffs and programs.
"It's un-American for the federal government to walk away from rural communities of America, and we're here to remind them of that commitment," said Bob Douglas, president of The National Forests Counties and Schools Coalition, which estimates more than 9 million children could be affected.
The commitment dates to 1908, when President Theodore Roosevelt struck a bargain with rural America: In exchange for allowing the creation of national forests, counties would receive 25 percent of the receipts from logging and other resource sales.
The catch? The land was off-limits for development and could not be taxed by state and local governments.
For years, funding would fluctuate with the price of timber. As environmental activism and litigation over logging grew, revenue fell and the counties found themselves in a bind. Recognizing the stress these market fluctuations put on schools, Congress offered a short-term solution, the six-year funding plan that expired in December.
But now, with budget deficits created by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's difficult to gain support for solutions the Forest Service is recommending, said Mark Rey, undersecretary of natural resources for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Without some solution, the counties will revert to the old 25 percent-share formula. But 25 percent of what, the school districts wonder.
One Forest Service proposal that remains a possible source of revenue is the sale of 170,000 isolated tracts of national forest lands, Rey said. So far, though, Congress has been unable to agree how the program should be funded.
If funding is approved, Rey recommends a five-year reauthorization with declining payments in each of the years. The agency also recommends targeting counties that have the greatest needs.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., has introduced a bill calling for reauthorization of the Community Self-Determination Act through fiscal 2013. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has introduced a bill in the Senate to continue the program.
"It is not just the Pacific Northwest at risk," DeFazio said last week in a speech on the House floor. "It is hundreds of counties and school districts, from Florida to Maine, all across America, who are at risk."
Douglas, who is also superintendent of California's Tehama County schools, said administrators in nearby Trinity County — home to Shasta-Trinity National Forest — might have to lay off staffers and school nurses, and eliminate library services, arts and music programs, and counseling.
"If this money goes away," he said, "there are going to be catastrophic changes."
By Shaya Tayefe Mohajer
the Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona
The quiet expiration of a federal law that last year provided $385 million for schools and roads in some of the nation's most scenic and rural areas has administrators in 41 states wondering how they will keep classrooms staffed.
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, which expired Dec. 31, will cost Arizona nearly $7.3 million if Congress doesn't agree to reauthorize the program by March.
Affected are Apache, Gila, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties because of the Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests.
West Coast states would feel the pain on a much larger scale: Last year the U.S. Forest Service funding program paid Washington more than $42 million and California more than $66 million. Oregon took the lion's share at more than $149 million.
Unless Congress acts soon, school administrators who have depended on the revenue for the past six years may be forced to cut staffs and programs.
"It's un-American for the federal government to walk away from rural communities of America, and we're here to remind them of that commitment," said Bob Douglas, president of The National Forests Counties and Schools Coalition, which estimates more than 9 million children could be affected.
The commitment dates to 1908, when President Theodore Roosevelt struck a bargain with rural America: In exchange for allowing the creation of national forests, counties would receive 25 percent of the receipts from logging and other resource sales.
The catch? The land was off-limits for development and could not be taxed by state and local governments.
For years, funding would fluctuate with the price of timber. As environmental activism and litigation over logging grew, revenue fell and the counties found themselves in a bind. Recognizing the stress these market fluctuations put on schools, Congress offered a short-term solution, the six-year funding plan that expired in December.
But now, with budget deficits created by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's difficult to gain support for solutions the Forest Service is recommending, said Mark Rey, undersecretary of natural resources for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Without some solution, the counties will revert to the old 25 percent-share formula. But 25 percent of what, the school districts wonder.
One Forest Service proposal that remains a possible source of revenue is the sale of 170,000 isolated tracts of national forest lands, Rey said. So far, though, Congress has been unable to agree how the program should be funded.
If funding is approved, Rey recommends a five-year reauthorization with declining payments in each of the years. The agency also recommends targeting counties that have the greatest needs.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., has introduced a bill calling for reauthorization of the Community Self-Determination Act through fiscal 2013. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has introduced a bill in the Senate to continue the program.
"It is not just the Pacific Northwest at risk," DeFazio said last week in a speech on the House floor. "It is hundreds of counties and school districts, from Florida to Maine, all across America, who are at risk."
Douglas, who is also superintendent of California's Tehama County schools, said administrators in nearby Trinity County — home to Shasta-Trinity National Forest — might have to lay off staffers and school nurses, and eliminate library services, arts and music programs, and counseling.
"If this money goes away," he said, "there are going to be catastrophic changes."