Washington, DC: Today Senators Kennedy and Enzi added to their relief package for Katrina victims an education bill that provides one-time, temporary impact aid to local school districts and private schools. They developed the bill with their colleagues Senators Alexander and Dodd. The bill provides immediate relief to the schools - both public and private - that have opened their doors to these students in a time of crisis, without opening political or ideological battles. The aid provided by the bill would flow through the public school system and maintain public accountability while assisting both public and private schools across the country that have generously taken in thousands of students.
“So many schools in the region and around the country have graciously opened their doors to children without the assistance they deserve. We need a response to Katrina that is as generous as the American people are. This bill puts aside politics and ideological battles to get the necessary aid to these schools and to these children without further delay," Senator Kennedy said. “My wife is from Southern Louisiana so we feel a special appreciation for the way that so many schools are ministering to those who lost so much."Under the bill, each eligible district will receive quarterly installment payments for each student enrolled in a given quarter in either a public or a private school in that district. Maximum total payment is $6,000 per student and $7,500 per student with disabilities, not to exceed cost of tuition at private schools. A summary of the bill is below.
In the past several weeks to help develop his education legislation, Senator Kennedy has visited New Orleans, spent time with evacuees at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts and met with recovery experts and officials from the area to determine the best course of action to help get schools back on their feet and accommodate displaced students. He recently met with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and discussed provisions in the proposal for aid to private schools. In these meetings, Kennedy learned that 700 schools and 30 colleges and universities have been damaged and destroyed and an estimated 473,000 elementary, high school and college students have been affected by the disaster, most of whom have been displaced. At a HELP Committee hearing he convened with Senator Enzi, Kennedy heard moving testimony from Superintendent Diane Roussel of Jefferson Parish who said: “Money isn’t always the answer to solving the ills in our public schools, but when we’re talking about equipment, supplies, rebuilding, and maintaining our teaching workforce, money is the answer."
