05.29.09: Urge Your Lawmakers to Support REAP Reauthorization Act
by Aileen Dalen
Courtesy of American Association of School Administrators
In May, Senators Conrad (D-N.D.) and Collins (R-Maine) and Representatives Pomeroy (D-N.D.) and Graves (R-Mo.) reintroduced the Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act. First introduced in the 110th Congress, these stand-alone bills would make necessary changes to improve REAP and ensure school districts are accurately identified to participate in the program. AASA has actively participated in the drafting of the proposed changes. As Congress moves to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, REAP will also be up for discussion. We need your representative to co-sponsor the House bill, HR 2446, and your senators to co-sponsor the Senate bill, S 1052. The more support we get, the better our chances will be to get the changes we desire.
The first change proposed in the reauthorization bills is a transition to new locale codes. Currently, eligibility for the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program is restricted to school districts located within locale codes 7 and 8, the rural designations. These codes will transition to 41, 42 and 43 (rural fringe, rural distant and rural remote) under the new system. District eligibility under the new codes should be similar to current law, although there is no way to ensure an absolute match between the old and new locale codes.
Eligibility for the Rural and Low-Income Schools Program was previously based on locale codes 6, 7 and 8 (rural and small town designations). Under the reauthorized law, eligibility will also be based on 41, 42 and 43 but will also include 32 and 33 (remote town and distant town). Because 32 and 33 are not a direct link to the previous code of 6, there will be some minor adjustments in eligibility.
Under the current law, if you are eligible for both programs, you are automatically enrolled under the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program. This was done to prevent double dipping. Unfortunately, some schools eligible for the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program do not receive a financial award due to their current levels of federal funding. The Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act will allow districts that are eligible for both programs but not receiving additional funding under the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program to apply under the Rural and Low-Income Schools Program. This will affect approximately 200 school districts across the country.
Another proposed change in the bill would switch the eligibility poverty measure from 20 percent Census poverty to 40 percent free and reduced price lunch for those districts under the Rural and Low-Income Schools Program. Census poverty is an inaccurate measure of poverty for school districts, especially in areas where school district borders are not contiguous with county borders. In addition, the Census Bureau questions the accuracy of its poverty measure for any populations below 20,000 people, the very size of the communities REAP seeks to target.
The last change the Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act proposes is a shift in the sliding formula from the current $20,000 to $60,000 to a new scale of $25,000 to $80,000. This shift will help acknowledge changing costs since the program’s initial introduction. In addition, it will help school districts with populations from 450 students to 600 students take full advantage of the sliding scale. While this change will be beneficial for most school districts that receive funding under REAP, we will need to raise the overall funding level first to prevent funding shifts that cause school districts to lose funding. This change in the program will be predicated on REAP funding reaching the $200 million mark. We are currently at $173 million, so it is not an enormous leap. But we will need everyone’s help.
We know that this program will not be reauthorized without a fight. There are members of the Senate who are seeking to undermine the program and possibly even dismantle it. At a minimum, we know there are senators who seek to narrow the definition of rural and kick some districts out of the program altogether. We need to get strong support through your Representatives and Senators co-sponsoring HR 2446 and S 1052. With increased congressional support, we can preserve REAP and make the necessary improvements during ESEA reauthorization.
