Committee for Education Funding

Dear Member of Congress,

The Committee for Education Funding (the Committee), a nonpartisan coalition of over eighty major organizations reflecting the broad spectrum of the education community, strongly believes that Congress must act responsibly both to reduce deficits and to invest necessary federal resources to meet the national priority for quality education. The Committee cannot support a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget because it is harmful to investment in education.

The Committee urges you to carefully consider the impact on education of proposals related to the Constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget. Public opinion polls show that 90% of Americans support maintaining or increasing federal support for education. When directly asked if they would support a balanced budget constitutional amendment that reduces funds for education, nearly 70% disagreed.

We understand the importance of reducing the federal deficit and support responsible efforts to do so. Mounting debt, if not addressed, will burden future generations and undermine the fiscal base needed for further educational investments. We must not burden future generations with either debt or inadequate educational preparation.

Over the last five years, efforts to control spending and prioritize investments have been successful in dramatically reducing the annual federal deficit by more than half. Bipartisan discussions of plans to balance the budget by 2002 are underway. Seeking to amend the Constitution to eliminate deficit spending is unnecessary and a distraction from the serious work needed to responsibly manage our federal budget for the benefit of our nation.

The attached Committee for Education Funding position statement on Education Investment and a Balanced Federal Budget further explains our concerns about S/H. J. Res. 1. It also describes features for responsible deficit control legislation, not included in the resolutions, that would protect the priority of quality education for America’s children, youth, and adults.

Sincerely,

Carnie C. Hayes President		Edward R. Kealy Executive Director