Hello NDSHAPE members! Hopefully you are getting ready to head to sunny Tampa, Florida, next week for SHAPE America’s National Convention! I just wanted to touch base and update you on the very successful trip that Chris Mahoney (University of Jamestown) and I made on March 5th– 6th to Washington, DC to be the lone representatives from North Dakota for SHAPE America’s SPEAK Out Day.
We had a successful training day on Tuesday, where we learned about the current ESSA funding that we wanted to advocate to our North Dakota legislators to continue to fund. Our day to lobby began bright and early on Wednesday morning and we were able to meet with representatives for both Kelly Armstrong and Kevin Cramer before lunch. The thrill of the day came in the afternoon when Senator (and former Governor) John Hoeven met personally with Chris and I to talk about the funding we were advocating for and to have us get him up to speed on North Dakota sports happenings. The two major sources of funding that we advocated for were Title IV Part A and Title II, which you can learn more about below:
Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act: Student Support and Academic Enrichments Grants
The bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a flexible block grant program under Title IV Part A, which is authorized at $1.6 billion in FY 2019. Title IV, Part A authorizes activities in three broad areas:
1. Providing students with a well-rounded education
2. Supporting safe and healthy students (e.g., school mental health, drug and violence prevention, and training on trauma-informed practices, health and physical education)
3. Supporting the effective use of technology (e.g., professional development, blended learning, and purchase of devices)
Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act: Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, or Other School Leaders The purpose of Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is to:
• Increase student achievement consistent with the challenging state academic standards
• Improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders
• Increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools
• Provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders Title II requires districts to “meaningfully consult” with teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, charter school leaders, parents etc., when developing an application for the use of Title II funds for state approval.
There are four major changes to Title II under ESSA:
• Changes the formula funding to weigh poverty over population
• Removes the requirement for a teacher evaluation system
• Eliminates the requirement for teachers to be highly qualified
• Allows states to blend Title II, Part A funds with other ESSA funds
Please recognize that we all need to continue to reach out to our Representative and Senators as the budget process continues with our federal budget. You can easily reach out to them here: https://www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy/advocacy_action_center.aspx#%2F
Thank you for your support in our travels, Chris and I look forward to discussing this great experience with you anytime! If we don’t see you in Tampa, enjoy the warmer weather in North Dakota, I know the students will enjoy the opportunity to be outside playing again!
Sincerely,
Joe Deutsch & Chris Mahoney
