Tell Congress To Help States and School Districts Improve School Facilities

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

I am very concerned about the current state of public school buildings across our nation. Too many facilities have fallen into disrepair, are overcrowded or in need of significant modernization. I urge you to address this issue, and to support our nation's students and school employees, by co-sponsoring the America's Better Classroom Act of 2007 (ABC), H.R. 2470/S.912, sponsored by Reps. Rangel, Ramstad and Etheridge in the House and Sen. Rockefeller in the Senate, and push for its passage in the 110th Congress.

By helping states and localities modernize existing school facilities and build new schools, the ABC Act will increase the opportunity for all students to meet the achievement objectives of the No Child Left Behind Act and develop the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century workforce.

This legislation recognizes that addressing rising school enrollments and aging school facilities requires a partnership at the federal, state and local levels. However, while the legislation provides direct federal support for the renovation, repair and building of schools, it allows local districts to identify their needs within these areas. The bill provides federal tax subsidies to pay the interest on $24.8 billion in school construction and modernization bonds. This will save millions of dollars in interest payments for states and districts, and will help communities stretch their limited resources to pay for additional essential school construction. This relatively small federal investment will help thousands of public schools at a time when we are asking more of students and educators, yet have failed to give them the tools necessary to accomplish this.

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