Thompson, Panetta Introduce All Children are Equal (ACE) Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Glenn "GT" Thompson(R-PA) and Jimmy Panetta(D-CA) introduced the All Children Are Equal (ACE) Act, a bill that will fix the way federal grants are distributed under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These funds are utilized to combat the effects of poverty on student achievement.

The current Title I formulas have the perverse effect of diverting funding from smaller school districts with higher instances of poverty to more populous school districts that have lower instances of poverty. This legislation eliminates the number weighting system used to distribute grants, to ensure that funds per pupil are distributed based upon percentages of poverty, rather than weighting the formula based upon population.

"Students experiencing poverty are too often short changed because of their zip code or the size of their school district," Rep. Thompson said. "Since 1965, the law has been very clear: all children should be treated equally. Implementing these changes is long overdue."

"The federal government's formula to allocate funding to support low-income students leaves too many kids in small schools behind," Rep. Panetta said. "That's why I'm proud to support this bipartisan legislation to update federal K-12 funding and ensure that we're prioritizing schools with the highest concentrations of poverty. Doing so will help us target the areas of greatest need, regardless of size, and result in millions more in additional support for low-income students in California's 19th Congressional District and across the country."

"AASA is proud to support reintroduction of the All Children Are Equal Act," said Dr. David Schuler, Executive Director of The School Superintendents Association. "ACE strengthens the integrity of Title I by better aligning funding with student need. It ensures dollars are truly targeted to areas of greatest need by reducing the influence of number weighting and focusing on concentrations of poverty. We commend GT for his tireless leadership on this issue and commitment to ensuring federal resources reach school districts serving the highest proportions of economically disadvantaged students-consistent with Title I's original purpose."

"In rural America, need is not smaller just because our districts are. Many rural schools serve high concentrations of poverty while also managing geographic isolation, transportation costs, staffing shortages and limited access to services that families rely on," saidDr. Melissa Sadorf, Executive Director of National Rural Education Association. "The ACE Act corrects a long-standing flaw in the Title I formula by prioritizing poverty concentration over district size, ensuring rural students are no longer penalized for living in places with fewer places but just as much need. NREA is proud to support Representatives Glenn "GT" Thompson and Jimmy Panetta as they lead this bipartisan effort to make Title I funding more equitable for rural students and schools."

"Title I was created to direct federal resources to students and communities with the greatest need, and the ACE Act makes important revisions to ensure these funds support districts with the highest concentrations of poverty," said James Rowan, CEO and Executive Director of the Association of School Business Officials International. "School business officials work hard every day to stretch limited resources to serve their students. They know firsthand how critical Title I is for providing essential programs and services, particularly in smaller, rural, high-need districts. We support modernizing this program to ensure all districts can effectively educate their students."

This legislation is also endorsed by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, YouthBuild Global, and the Association of Educational Service Agencies.

Read the full text here.