Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education (June 24, 2021)
Summary
Printed record of a June 24, 2021 hearing of the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, on the policies and priorities of the U.S. Department of Education, Serial No. 117-22. Statements of members are by Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Foxx, and the witness is Secretary Cardona of the Department of Education. Additional submissions include an Emporia Independent Messenger article on $46.6 Million in federal funding for Virginia private schools, submitted by Chairman Scott, and an Oregon Public Broadcasting article on state school funding, submitted by Representative Bonamici. Representative Levin submitted letters from Van Dyke Public Schools, the K-12 Alliance of Michigan and Ferndale Schools. The record ends with questions for the record and responses by Secretary Cardona, and the Committee adjourned at 3:03 p.m.
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[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
EXAMINING THE POLICIES AND
PRIORITIES OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JUNE 24, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-22
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via: edlabor.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
44-859 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina,
JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut Ranking Member
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, JOE WILSON, South Carolina
Northern Mariana Islands GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida TIM WALBERG, Michigan
SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin
MARK TAKANO, California ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
MARK DeSAULNIER, California JIM BANKS, Indiana
DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey JAMES COMER, Kentucky
PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington RUSS FULCHER, Idaho
JOSEPH D. MORELLE, New York FRED KELLER, Pennsylvania
SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina
LUCY McBATH, Georgia MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut BURGESS OWENS, Utah
ANDY LEVIN, Michigan BOB GOOD, Virginia
ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota LISA C. McCLAIN, Michigan
HALEY M. STEVENS, Michigan DIANA HARSHBARGER, Tennessee
TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ, New Mexico MARY E. MILLER, Illinois
MONDAIRE JONES, New York VICTORIA SPARTZ, Indiana
KATHY E. MANNING, North Carolina SCOTT FITZGERALD, Wisconsin
FRANK J. MRVAN, Indiana MADISON CAWTHORN, North Carolina
JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York, Vice-Chair MICHELLE STEEL, California
MARK POCAN, Wisconsin JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana
JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas Vacancy
MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey
JOHN A. YARMUTH, Kentucky
ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
KWEISI MFUME, Maryland
Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director
Cyrus Artz, Minority Staff Director
------
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 24, 2021.................................... 1
Statement of Members:
Scott, Hon. Robert C. ``Bobby'', Chairman, Committee on
Education and Labor........................................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Foxx, Hon. Virginia, Ranking Member, Committee on Education
and Labor.................................................. 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 4
Statement of Witnesses:
Cardona, Miguel, Secretary of the Department of Education....
Prepared statement of....................................
Additional Submissions:
Chairman Scott:
``Northam Announces $46.6 Million in Federal Funding for
Virginia Private Schools,'' Emporia Independent
Messenger, April 10, 2021.............................. 98
Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, a Delegate in Congress
from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands:
Letter dated June 25, 2021 May 10, 2021.................. 101
Wilson, Hon. Federica S., a Representative in Congress from
the State of Florida:
``Action Memorandum: Automating the Discharge of Federal
Student Loan Debt for Individuals who are Totally and
Permanently Disabled,'' 100 Day Docket Student Defense,
December 14, 2020...................................... 102
Bonamici, Hon. Suzanne, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oregon:
``Oregon's on track to send record state funding to
public schools. There could still be cuts.'', Oregon
Public Broadcasting, June 16, 2021..................... 111
Espillat, Hon. Adriano, a Representative in Congress from the
State of New York:
``Schumer Praised for Work on Rescue Plan Act to Assist
Catholic Schools,'' Catholic New York, March 24, 2021.. 118
Grijalva, Hon. Raul M., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Arizona:
Prepared statement....................................... 121
Levin, Hon. Andy, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Michigan:
Letter from Van Dyke Public Schools...................... 123
Letter from K-12 Alliance of Michigan dated June 24, 2021 124
Letter from Ferndale Schools dated June 23, 2021......... 126
Morelle, Hon. Joseph D., a Representative in Congress from
the State of New York:
``Nearly $400 million in federal aid coming to Rochester-
area schools,'' Rochester City News, March 18, 2021.... 127
Norcross, Hon. Donald, a Representative in Congress from the
State of New Jersey:
Letter dated June 23, 2021................................... 130
Ranking Member Foxx and Owens, Hon. Burgess, a Representative
in Congress from the State of Utah:
Letter dated June 23, 2021............................... 133
Allen, Hon. Rick, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Georgia:
``New Poll Confirms Widespread Support for School
Choice,'' Echelon Insights............................. 136
Steel, Hon. Michelle, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California:
``Izumi: SCOTUS move on Harvard Asian bias case a hopeful
sign,'' Boston Herald, June 20,2021.................... 138
``Why The Asian American Students Lost Their Case Against
Harvard (But Should Have Won),'' Forbes, October 1,
2019................................................... 142
Questions submitted for the record by:
Courtney, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Connecticut................................... 147
Ms. Wilson............................................... 147
Wild, Hon. Susan, a Representative in Congress from the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania........................... 147
Bowman, Hon. Jamaal, a Representative in Congress from
the State of New York.................................. 148
Ranking Member Foxx...................................... 149
Wilson, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the
State of South Carolina................................ 153
Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative in Congress from
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania....................... 154
Fitzgerald, Hon. Scott, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Wisconsin................................. 154
Miller, Hon. Mary E., a Representative in Congress from
the State of Illinois.................................. 155
Letlow, Hon. Julia, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Louisiana..................................... 155
Responses to questions submitted for the record by:
Secretary Cardona........................................
EXAMINING THE POLICIES AND
PRIORITIES OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
----------
Thursday, June 24, 2021
House of Representatives,
Committee on Education and Labor,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:16 a.m. via
Zoom, Hon. Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott (Chairman of the
Committee) presiding.
Present: Representatives: Scott, Courtney, Sablan, Wilson
of Florida, Bonamici, Takano, Adams, DeSaulnier, Norcross,
Jayapal, Morelle, Wild, McBath, Hayes, Levin, Omar, Stevens,
Legerrnandez, Manning, Mrvan, Bowman, Pocan, Castro, Espaillat,
Mfume, Foxx, Wilson of South Carolina, Thompson, Walberg,
Grothman, Stefanik, Allen, Banks, Comer, Keller, Murphy,
Miller-Meeks, Owens, Good, McClain, Harshbarger, Miller,
Fitzgerald, Cawthorn, Steel, and Letlow.
Staff present: Phoebe Ball, Disability Counsel; Melissa
Bellin, Professional Staff; Katie Berger, Professional Staff;
Jessica Bowen, Professional Staff; Rashage Green, Director of
Education Policy; Christian Haines, General Counsel; Rasheedah,
Chief Clerk; Sheila Havenner, Director of Information
Technology; Joe Herrbach, Professional Staff; Ariel Jona,
Policy Associate; Andre Lindsay, Policy Associate; Katie
McClelland, Professional Staff; Max Moore, Staff Assistant;
Mariah Mowbray, Clerk/Special Assistant to the Staff Director;
Kayla Pennebecker, Staff Assistant; Veronique Pluviose, Staff
Director; Manasi Raveendran, Oversight Counsel-Education;
Benjamin Sinoff, Director of Education Oversight; Lakeisha
Steele, Senior Education Policy Advisor; Theresa Thompson,
Professional Staff; Banyon Vassar, Deputy Director of
Information Technology; Claire Viall, Professional Staff;
Joshua Weisz, Communications Director; Harley Adsit, Minority
Press Secretary; Cyrus Artz, Minority Staff Director; Amy Raaf
Jones, Minority Director of Education and Human Resources
Policy; Dean Johnson, Minority Legislative Assistant; Hannah
Matesic, Minority Director of Operations; Audra McGeorge,
Minority Communications Director; Jake Middlebrooks, Minority
Professional Staff Member; Eli Mitchell, Minority Legislative
Assistant; Maureen O'Toole, Minority Press Assistant; Alex
Ricci, Minority Speechwriter; Chance Russell, Minority
Legislative Assistant; Mandy Schaumburg, Minority Chief Counsel
and Deputy Director of Education Policy; Brad Thomas, and
Minority Senior Education Policy Advisor.
Chairman Scott. The Committee on Education and Labor will
come to order and welcome everyone. I note a quorum is present.
The Committee is meeting today to hear testimony on ``Examining
the Policies and Priorities of the United States Department of
Education.''
This is an entirely remote hearing and as such the
Committee's hearing room is officially closed. All microphones
will be kept muted as a general rule to avoid unnecessary
background noises. The Members and the witnesses are
responsible for unmuting themselves when they are recognized to
speak or when they wish to seek recognition.
If a remote witness experiences technical difficulties
during the hearing, please stay connected to the platform. Make
sure you are muted and use your phone to immediately call the
Committee's IT director, whose number was provided in advance.
Should the Chair experience technical difficulty and need to
step away, another majority Member is hereby authorized to
assume the gavel in the Chair's absence.
In order to assure the Committee's five-minute rule is
adhered to, staff will be keeping track of time using the
Committee's field timer, which will appear in its own thumbnail
picture and will show a blinking light when time is up. As I
indicated previously, we'll skip the roll call so that the
secretary can make his hard stop at the appointed time.
Pursuant to Group Committee Rule 8(c), opening statements
are limited to the Chair and Ranking Member, and I recognize
myself now for the purpose of making an opening statement.
Today we're meeting to discuss the Department of Education's
budget request for fiscal 2022 and examine the Department's
priorities to support students, educators, and communities.
Secretary Cardona, welcome to the Committee on Education
and Labor, and thank you for being with us today. Today we'll
look forward to hearing your vision to expand access to quality
education and help students and schools recover from the
pandemic. Now at the beginning of this administration, you
inherited an Education Department that spent 4 years moving in
the wrong direction.
Under the Trump administration, the Department failed to
provide meaningful guidance to help students cope with the
pandemic, eroded civil rights protections for students, they
failed to faithfully implement the ``Every Student Succeeds
Act'' and they withheld debt relief from hundreds of thousands
of students who were defrauded by low quality institutions
while refusing to hold these institutions accountable.
Mr. Secretary, under your leadership, the Biden-Harris
administration has made critical progress of restoring the
Department's commitment to students and educators. In March,
the administration worked with Congress to pass the American
Rescue Plan Act. This package provided the largest one-time
Federal investment in K through 12 education, in our Nation's
history, and it distributed using the Title 1A formula so that
the greatest resources went to the communities with the
greatest needs. Its funding has allowed school districts to
reopen safely, remain open and make up for lost time in the
classroom.
While others have demanded that schools reopen, the Rescue
Act secured the resources to help schools reopen safely. The
funding allowed schools to purchase personal protective
equipment, repair broken and--repair and replace broken
ventilation systems and take other steps to follow CDC
guidelines for reopening schools safely.
Importantly, school districts are also using the funding to
help students get back on track after the pandemic. School
districts must dedicate 20 percent of the funding they receive
to address learning loss, and support students' social and
emotional well-being. I want to recognize the Department for
providing school districts with evidence-based guidance on how
to use the relief to support students and reopen classrooms.
Because of these efforts, schools finally had the resources
and support they need. As of April, 96 percent of K through 8
schools were already for hybrid or full-time in-person
learning. As Dr. James Lane, the State superintendent in my
home State noted, and I quote, ``These resources will help
students and teachers remain healthy and safe.'' I'd like to
now enter into the record an article in which Dr. Lane supports
these critical investments.
Chairman Scott. The American Rescue Plan is also helping
institutions of higher education weather the pandemic. The
package provided a financial lifeline for institutions
grappling with devastating enrollment declines and revenue
losses and require that an institution dedicate at least half
of the funding they receive for direct aid to help students
avoid hunger, homelessness, and other hardships.
These critical investments are helping students, schools,
and institutions to the road of recovery. And yet we must look
beyond restoring the pre-pandemic status quo that already left
far too many students behind, so today we'll discuss how the
Department's budget request, the American Jobs Plan and the
American Families Plan will build back a better education
system where everyone can succeed.
Drawn from the Americans College Promise Act, the American
Families Plan invests in providing tuition-free community
college and reduced costs for students at HBCUs and other
minority-serving institutions. The package also provides an
historic increase in Pell grants, which help more students get
a quality degree.
The Americans Jobs Plan also includes promising funding to
help schools retrofit dangerously outdated school buildings,
including ventilation systems, and it provides community
colleges with the necessary resources to modernize campus
facilities and technological infrastructure.
So today we also look forward to hearing about the
Department's budget and what it will do to confront persistent
academic achievement gaps, restore access to education for
students with disabilities, lower costs of college and ensure
that all students have access to the quality education they
need to reach their full potential.
[The statement of Chairman Scott follows:]
Statement of Hon. Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott, Chairman,
Committee on Education and Labor
Today, we are meeting to discuss the Department of Education's
budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 and examine the Department's
priorities to support students, educators, and communities.
Secretary Cardona, welcome to the Committee on Education and Labor
and thank you for being with us today. Today, we look forward to
hearing your vision to expand access to quality education and help
students and schools recover from the pandemic.
At the beginning of this Administration, you inherited an Education
Department that spent 4 years moving in the wrong direction. Under the
Trump administration, the Department:
Failed to provide meaningful guidance to help students cope
with the pandemic;
Eroded civil rights protections for students;
Failed to faithfully implement the Every Student Succeeds
Act; and
Withheld debt relief from hundreds of thousands of students
who were defrauded by low-quality institutions while refusing
to hold these institutions accountable.
Mr. Secretary, under your leadership, the Biden-Harris
Administration has made critical progress toward restoring the
Department's commitment to students and educators.
In March, the Administration worked with Congress to pass the
American Rescue Plan Act. This package provided the largest one-time
Federal investment in K-12 education in our Nation's history and
distributed it using the Title I-A formula so that the greatest
resources went to communities with the greatest needs.
This funding has allowed school districts to reopen safely, remain
open, and make up for lost time in the classroom.
While others have demanded that schools reopen, the Rescue Act
secured the resources to help schools reopen safely. The funding allows
schools to:
Purchase personal protective equipment,
Repair and replace broken ventilation systems, and
Take other steps to follow C-D-C guidance for reopening
schools safely.
Importantly, school districts are also using this funding to help
students get back on track after the pandemic. Districts must dedicate
20 percent of the funding they received to address learning loss and
support students' social and emotional well-being.
I want to recognize the Department for providing school districts
with evidence-based guidance on how to use the relief to support
students and reopen classrooms.
Because of these efforts, schools finally have the resources and
support they need. As of April, 96 percent of K-8 schools were already
open for hybrid or full-time in-person learning. As Dr. James Lane, the
State superintendent in my home State, noted, quote: ``These resources
will help keep students and teachers remain healthy and safe.'' I would
now like to enter into the record a letter from Dr. Lane supporting
these critical investments.
The American Rescue Plan is also helping institutions of higher
education weather the pandemic. The package provided a financial
lifeline for institutions grappling with devastating enrollment
declines and revenue losses. And it required that an institution
dedicate at least half of the funding they received for direct aid to
help students avoid hunger, homelessness, and other hardships.
These critical investments are helping students, schools, and
institutions to the road of recovery. Yet, we must look beyond
restoring the pre-pandemic status quo that already left far too many
students behind.
Today, we will discuss how the Department's budget request, the
American Jobs Plan, and the American Families Plan would build back a
better education system where everyone can succeed.
Drawing from the America's College Promise Act, the American
Families Plan invests in providing tuition-free community college and
reducing costs for students at H-B-C-Us and other minority serving
institutions. The package also provides a historic increase in Pell
Grants, which would help more students get a quality degree.
The American Jobs Plan also includes promising funding to help
schools retrofit dangerously outdated school buildings, including
ventilation systems. And it provides community colleges with the
necessary resources to modernize campus facilities and technological
infrastructure.
Today, we also look forward to hearing what the Department's budget
will do to:
Confront persistent academic achievement gaps,
Restore access to education for students with disabilities,
Lower the cost of college, and,
Ensure that all students have access to the quality
education they need to reach their full potential.
Mr. Secretary, thank you, again, for joining us today. I am now
pleased to recognize the distinguished Ranking Member of the Committee,
Dr. Foxx, the gentlelady from North Carolina, for the purpose of making
an opening statement.
______
Chairman Scott. So Mr. Secretary, thank you again for
joining us today, and I'm pleased to recognize the
distinguished Ranking Member of the Committee, Dr. Foxx, the
gentlelady from North Carolina, for the purpose of making an
opening statement. Dr. Foxx.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and thank you Mr.
Secretary for being here. Mr. Secretary, Americans have
suffered greatly in the past 15 months. Far-reaching government
shutdowns to flatten the curve for 2 weeks turned into
permanent stay-at-home orders. Businesses ground to a halt.
Millions of individuals lost their jobs. America's school
children, if they received any instruction at all, learned
their course material by staring listlessly at a small screen
for hours every day.
Families did the best they could under the trying
circumstances. Our initial instinct to preserve life was
notable.
Trusting virologists at the outset of the pandemic made
sense because there were so many unknowns. They are scientists.
Surely as more evidence became available and natural
experiments ran their course, government leaders with access to
the latest data would modify their response accordingly.
Evidence of the novel coronavirus' negligible effect on
children grew to levels impossible to ignore. But nothing
changed. Blue State politicians forced children to spend their
lives indoors and away from friends and loved ones. Democrats,
including high ranking officials in this administration,
discarded the scientific method in favor of narrow political
interests and their teacher union allies.
Democrats' actions have consequences. Low income and
minority students suffered disproportionately from school
closures. One study estimated the average student learning loss
would be 10 months. But that number increases to as many as 16
months for students of color. Data from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reveal a tragic mental health
deterioration amongst our country's youth.
Emergency room trips caused by potential suicide attempts
by children aged 12 to 17 rose 22 percent in the summer of
2020, and 39 percent in the winter of 2021. Unnecessarily long
shutdowns did incalculable harm to those children, their
families, and their communities. President Biden's bloated
budget recognizes the damages Democrats' shutdown policies have
done to our children.
But his proposed solution creates further harm for this
generation. It mortgages our children's future on duplicative,
unnecessary, and unconstitutional programs. While the Secretary
will likely focus on all the expensive new program proposals in
the President's budget that have no hope of becoming law,
Committee Republicans cannot help but notice the preventable $1
trillion student loan repayment disaster looming on the
horizon. Federal student loan borrowers have not had to pay
back a single penny since March 2020, but the repayment and
interest rate freeze ends on September 30.
To date, Secretary Cardona has not communicated his plan to
transition these loans from inactive to repayment status. The
pandemic is over, and we expect the Secretary to take ownership
of his bureaucracy's responsibility to America's students and
particularly the taxpayers. Other priorities of Secretary
Cardona's Department of Education are not inspiring the
American people's confidence in this administration.
He is using the application process for the American
History and Civics Education program to promote Critical Race
Theory. Indoctrinating children is a violation of Federal law.
Critical Race Theory is contrary to the American ideal of
judging people on their character, not their physical
appearance. Secretary Cardona has failed to make substantive
progress toward protecting college students from attempts by
our foreign enemies to influence campuses.
This administration has neither opened or closed any
investigations into the donations institutions receive from or
contracts they entered into with adversarial foreign sources.
China should not be given free rein on our college campuses.
Secretary Cardona is also working to overturn Title IX
regulations that guarantee the rights of both sexual assault
survivors and the accused. Our Constitution guarantees the
right to due process. Secretary Cardona must protect students
who survive sexual assault and uphold the ability of the
accused to use the same constitutional rights enjoyed by his
boss and notable other Democrat elites.
There are good reasons why the word ``education'' does not
appear in the Constitution. Education is done best when it is
handled at the local level. The Department of Education is
incompetent. The solution if not more of the same, which is
what the President's budget represents, but less of what has
sidetracked our country's education system, the Department of
Education itself.
[The statement of Ranking Member Foxx follows:]
Statement of Hon. Virginia Foxx, Ranking Member,
Committee on Education and Labor
Americans suffered greatly in the past 15 months. Far-reaching
government shutdowns to flatten the curve for 2 weeks turned into
permanent stay at home orders. Business grounded to a halt. Millions of
individuals lost their jobs. America's school children, if they
received any instruction at all, learned their course material by
staring listlessly at a small screen for hours every day.
Families did the best they could under the trying circumstances.
Our initial instinct to preserve life was noble.
Trusting virologists at the outset of the pandemic made sense
because there were so many unknowns. They are scientists. Surely as
more evidence became available, as natural experiments ran their
course, government leaders with access to the latest data would modify
their response accordingly. Evidence of the novel coronavirus's
negligible effect on children grew to levels impossible to ignore.
But nothing changed. Blue State politicians forced children to
spend their lives indoors and away from friends and loved ones.
Democrats, including high-ranking officials in this administration,
discarded the scientific method in favor of narrow political interests
and their teachers union allies.
Democrats' actions have consequences.
Low-income and minority students suffered disproportionately from
school closures. One study estimated the average student's learning
loss would be 10 months, but that number increases to as many as 16
months for students of color.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a
tragic mental health deterioration amongst our country's youth.
Emergency room trips caused by potential suicide attempts by children
aged 12 to 17 rose 22 percent in the summer of 2020 and 39 percent in
the winter of 2021. Unnecessarily long shutdowns did incalculable harm
to those children, their families, and their communities.
President Biden's bloated budget recognizes the damage Democrats'
shutdown policies have done to our kids, but his proposed solution
creates further harm for this generation. It mortgages our children's
future on duplicative, unnecessary, and unconstitutional programs.
While the Secretary will likely focus today on all the expensive
new program proposals in the President's budget that have no hope of
becoming law, Committee Republicans cannot help but notice the
preventable $1 trillion student loan repayment disaster looming on the
horizon. Federal student loan borrowers have not had to pay back a
single penny since March 2020, but the repayment and interest rate
freeze ends on September 30. To date, Secretary Cardona has not
communicated his plan to transition these loans from inactive to
repayment status. The pandemic is over, and I expect the Secretary to
take ownership of his bureaucracy's responsibility to America's
students and taxpayers.
Other priorities of Secretary Cardona's Department of Education are
not inspiring the American people's confidence in this administration.
He is using the application process for the American History and
Civics Education program to promote Critical Race Theory.
Indoctrinating children is a violation of Federal law. Critical Race
Theory is contrary to the American ideal of judging people on their
character, not their physical appearance.
Secretary Cardona has failed to make substantive progress toward
protecting college students from attempts by our foreign enemies to
influence campuses. This administration has neither opened nor closed
any investigations into the donations institutions received from, or
contracts they entered into, with adversarial foreign sources. China
should not be given free rein on our college campuses.
Secretary Cardona is also working to overturn Title IX regulations
that guarantee the rights of both sexual assault survivors and the
accused. Our constitution guarantees the right to due process.
Secretary Cardona must protect students who have survived sexual
assault and uphold the ability of the accused to use the same
constitutional rights enjoyed by his boss and notable other Democrat
elites.
There are good reasons why the word education does not appear in
the Constitution. Education is done best when it is handled at the
local level. The Department of Education is incompetent. The solution
is not more of the same, which is what the President's budget
represents, but less of what has sidetracked our country's educational
system--the Department of Education itself.
I look forward to hearing how Secretary Cardona will reverse course
and empower families to make the educational decisions that are best
for them.
______
Ms. Foxx. I look forward to hearing how Secretary Cardona
will reverse course and empower families to make the
educational decisions that are best for them. With that Mr.
Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you and without objection all other
Members who wish to insert written statements in the record may
do so by submitting them to the Committee Clerk electronically
in Microsoft Word format by 5 p.m. on July 8th, 2021. I'll now
welcome our witness. The Honorable Miguel Cardona is the 12th
Secretary of the Department of Education. Previously he served
as Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut, and
before that he had two decades of experience as a public-school
educator in his hometown of Meriden, Connecticut.
Mr. Secretary, we appreciate your participating today and
look forward to your testimony. Your written statement will
appear in full in the hearing record and you're asked to limit
your oral presentation to a five-minute summary. After your
presentation, we'll move to Member questions. Insofar as our
witness is aware of his responsibilities to provide accurate
information to the Committee, we'll now proceed directly with
his testimony. Mr. Secretary.
STATEMENT OF MIGUEL CARDONA, SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. Good morning, Chair Scott,
Ranking Member Foxx, and distinguished Members of the
Committee. This past year, we've had plenty of quantitative
data on the effects of the pandemic around the country, whether
it's cases per 100,000 deaths or more recently a percentage
vaccinated. We have a snapshot of the challenges we face.
However, it helps to connect people and faces to numbers.
I recently had a conversation with a high school student at
Harvey Milk High School in New York City. His story really
stood out to me. He lost his grandmother to COVID-19 and his
significant other to suicide in the last 10 months. As he
returned to school, something that he said he was very much
looking forward to, he asked me to ensure that he and all
students across the country would walk into welcoming
environments free from judgment, with mental health support to
address the trauma they experienced.
He shared that while he missed a lot academically, he was
hopeful that the school could provide the support he needed to
catch up and thrive. And that is why I'm here today, for
students like him and others that need more when they return.
I'm proud to testify about the policies and priorities of the
Department of Education, including our Fiscal Year 2022 budget
request that makes good on President Biden's commitment to
invest in education.
It also begins to address the significant inequities that
students, primarily students of color and students with
disabilities, confront every day in schools, and in pursuit of
higher education and career technical education. I want to
thank the Members of the Committee who helped ensure passage of
the American Rescue Plan, bringing vital resources to our
schools and colleges across the country.
These funds will ensure that schools reopen for full-time
in-person learning as safely and as quickly as possible. I come
to you today with a great sense of urgency. Generations of
inequity have left far too many students without equitable
access to high quality inclusive learning opportunities,
including in our rural communities. Sadly, this has become
normalized.
Education can be the great equalizer. It was for me and so
many of you on this call right now. If we prioritize, we
replicate and we reinvest in what works for all students. We
must do more to level the playing field, including providing a
strong foundation from birth, improving diversity among the
teacher workforce, and creating learning pathways that work for
all students.
To that end, the budget proposal calls on Congress to
invest nearly 103 billion in the Department of Education's
programs, a 41 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2021
appropriation. The Fiscal Year 2022 request also makes a
meaningful down payment toward the Biden-Harris
administration's goal of addressing inequities. The centerpiece
of the proposal is a new $20 billion Title I equity grants
program that tackles disparities between under-resourced
schools and their wealthier counterparts. It supports
competitive compensation for teachers in Title I schools,
expands access to pre-kindergarten, and increases preparation
for and access to success in rigorous course work.
Our request puts the Nation on a path to double the number
of school counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals
in our schools, and significantly expands support for community
schools, to increase availability of those wrap-around services
that we know our students need.
We also think it's past time for the Federal Government to
make good on its commitment to students with disabilities and
their families. The request makes a significant move toward
fully funding IDEA, proposing a 20 percent increase of $2.6
billion to states.
Turning to higher education, an area that we all know needs
immediate attention, our budget proposal furthers the Biden-
Harris administration's work to increase access and
affordability to students. The proposal coupled with the
increase proposed in the American Families Plan, would be the
largest ever Pell grant increase, helping millions of students
and families. Importantly, it ensures that Dreamers may receive
Pell grants if they meet the eligibility requirements.
Through the American Families Plan, our budget proposal
provides 2 years of free community college to first time
students and those wishing to reskill. It also makes college
more affordable for low-and middle-income students at 4-year
HBCUs, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions, as
well as Hispanic-serving institutions and Asian American and
Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions.
The budget also proposes increases for TRIO and GEAR UP
programs to make sure underserved students succeed and graduate
from college. Finally, we prioritized efforts to enforce civil
rights laws related to education, to protect all students and
advance equity in the educational opportunity and delivery,
pre-school through college.
Working together, we can and will heal, learn, and grow
through this challenging time. I'm committed to working
collaboratively with each of you to strengthen our schools and
campuses, and help provide opportunities, pathways, and
outcomes for students across the country. Thank you, and I look
forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Secretary Cardona follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Miguel Cardona
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now we
will now proceed with Member questions. Under Committee Rule
9(a), we will now question witnesses under the five-minute
rule, and I'll be recognizing Committee Members in seniority
order. Now last week, I tried to enforce the five-minute rule
and--but even although several Members yielded, didn't use all
their time, we still averaged almost six minutes per Member.
We have 50 Members, so if we do that again that will be
almost an hour over our allotted time. I'll remind Members that
the five-minute rule is supposed to include both the question
and the answer, so please refrain from beginning a question
with just a few seconds left, because that guarantees that any
coherent answer will go well past the allotted five minutes.
With that, we'll begin with the gentleman from Connecticut, Mr.
Courtney.
Mr. Courtney. Well thank you Mr. Chairman and good morning,
Mr. Secretary. It is very tempting to spend my five minutes to
sort of tell, allow you to tell the story of your journey
through life to get you to the place where you are today.
Again, you are, as the Chair alluded, a product of public
schools, public higher education, in the classroom teacher,
principal, local superintendent. I mean you; your DNA is right
in the heart of the Department of Education, and we are all so
proud of you in the State of Connecticut. Your Congresswoman,
Jahana Hayes, I'm sure will double down when she gets the
opportunity.
But, you know, we're not here for a walk down memory lane;
we're here to talk about the future. This budget, having been
on this Committee since 2007, the investments in Title I,
special education finally, impact aid.
I have a military district as you know and impact aid is
very important for those military kids to get the education
that, you know, their parents wearing the uniform really are
entitled to, as well as investing in magnet schools, which as
you know in the State of Connecticut Sheff v. O'Neill's anti-
discrimination or anti-segregation decision, you know, the
magnet school strategy is instrumental in terms of breaking
down racial isolation. I mean it is just a really amazing
budget.
But I did want to just sort of spend a minute on an issue
that President Biden, one of the first executive orders, was
that he pushed out the pause on student loan payments, direct
student loan payments. That cliff or that moment is fast
approaching at the end of September. Yesterday myself,
Congresswoman Pressley, Senator Warren and 60 other Members,
many of whom are on this Committee, sent a letter to the
President thanking him for that pause, but you know obviously
there's a lot of moving parts.
You're grappling with what your legal authorities are
regarding student loan debt. I realize the letter is less than
24 hours old, so I'm not trying to put you on the spot here.
But I hope again you can sort of talk a little bit about, you
know, the Department and hopefully you'll give some
consideration to pushing out the pause for another three or 4
months, which is what the letter requested.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman Courtney, and
it's nice to see you. You know, we recognize the impact that
the pandemic had on our borrowers, and extending the pause is
something that, you know, we have had conversations about. We
recognize again the challenge that it is. To date, the pause
has saved over $5 billion for borrowers a month, 41 million
borrowers.
Just yesterday, I spoke to a young doctor who said that
that pause helped him make a decision to open up a business
and, you know, he credited the pause as part of the reason why
he was able to do that. So I recognize that. We are continuing
conversations regularly, to make sure that we're factoring all
different things. I appreciate your sentiment and I recognize
that the challenge has been for those who have debt, thinking
about that date coming up soon.
We do plan on having information soon to communicate, you
know. Restarting right now it's on September 30th. But we do
have in our immediate plans, we want to communicate the
information out there.
Mr. Courtney. Well thank you, and you know again, first of
all, the Department did move swiftly to protect the defrauded
student loan borrowers or ITT Tech and, you know, we have some
of those borrowers from Connecticut. Thank you for that swift
action.
One other problem area, and again the last administration
butchered the public service loan forgiveness processing which
was started in the last 4 years. One community that again is
really struggling with this program is military veterans and
active duty who have student loan debt, that qualified under
the law that was passed back in 2007. But their deployment time
where they get for parents when they're overseas, was not
counted toward the 10-year tally to get student loan
discharged.
Myself and a number of Members have introduced legislation
to fix that problem. Again, there are many other folks who are
struggling with this program, and I hope that will be one of
the areas of concentration, to fix what's already on the books.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. It definitely will be. When
we have a system that rejects 98 percent of those who apply, it
needs an overhaul. I'm very interested in making sure that we
provide results and soon. We hired Rich Cordray recently and
his charge is to fix that system. And it's not only public
service loan forgiveness that needs work; the entire student
loan debt crisis needs a lot of attention.
We haven't been sitting idle on it. We've, you know,
provided some relief, over two, three billion dollars. But
there's so much more to do. This is the highest priority for
us, and we definitely want to work with you and others to make
sure that we're not missing out on any who didn't benefit from
it and don't want to overlook anyone. This is a high priority
for me. Those students deserve to be supported and defended as
borrowers, so that they can go on with life and not have this
heavy burden of debt holding them down.
Mr. Courtney. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, go Huskies.
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Our next Member will be the
gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Chairman Bobby Scott, and thank you
Secretary for being with us today. Mr. Secretary, on November
13th, 2020, the Department of Education under the Trump
administration published in the Registrar, quote ``The
Department has the authority to implement a range of corrective
measures for an institution that violates its program
participation agreement, including termination of the
institution's Title IV participation.''
This statement was related to an institution failing to
report Section 117 information of gifts and donations timely
and accurately, which was to address what Ranking Member
Virginia Foxx has already identified, and that is the Chinese
government-sponsored Confucius Institutes strategically located
at research institutions across America.
Given that many institutions are failing to comply with the
reporting requirements under Section 117 of the Higher
Education Act, can you commit to acting on your own authority
as Secretary to hold schools accountable who fail to comply
with the law? How will you ensure that higher education system
is protected from the influence of adversarial nations?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative Wilson. We
take these issues very seriously as you do, and I commit to
making sure that we're attentive to what the concerns are and
working with you and others to make sure that we're using our
authority to ensure appropriate actions and to look into this
issue further.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you. Well we look forward to full
disclosure and it's to the benefit of everyone, the
institutions, students, and our relations with countries around
the world. Additionally, Mr. Secretary, as you were identifying
billions of dollars of more spending. More spending may not be
the only way to help our students. In New York City, the
average spending per student is $37,000 a year. But sadly, high
school graduates, only 6 percent graduate achieving proficiency
in math. How do you recommend changing systems that spend
astronomical amount of money to benefit the students?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. As a lifelong educator, I
recognize two things. No. 1, there has been an under-investment
in education. I recall having this every year a conversation
about having to do more with less. Students come in with
greater need, but we have less resources. That's No. 1.
No. 2, it's critically important that we have a good return
on investment for every dollar spent in education. So for me,
it's really about ensuring that funds are aimed toward the
students that need it most, and I mean I don't have to remind
anyone on this call that the pandemic exacerbated opportunity
gaps and access to learning for many students, in particular
students in urban areas and students in rural areas.
But also, I think it's really important to recognize that
we have an obligation to ensure outcomes with the funds that
are being distributed. The American Rescue Plan, we expect that
states submit, you know, communication on what they're going to
use the plan, the funds for, equity being one of them, and
ensuring that they're getting input from different
stakeholders.
So I recognize your concern and I can assure you that we
will work closely with states and districts, to make sure that
our students who are in greatest need get the support that they
need, and that the outcomes follow.
Mr. Wilson. Additionally, charter high schools make up just
10 percent of the country's nearly 24,000 public high schools.
But they comprise 24 percent of the top 100 public high
schools. In the most recent budget that the administration has,
there's a restriction on ability to fund charter schools. What
will you be doing to address that and give choice?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. You know the funds, the
proposal that we have here does not cut funds for charter
schools. It level funds them, and we recognize the role that
charter schools play in our country. And for me it's about
quality schools, whether they're charter or traditional
schools, ensuring quality schools, quality programming for all
students.
Mr. Wilson. But you say there's level funding. Gee whiz,
the other spending was like a 44 percent increase. Gosh
that's--where programs are working, we need to be investing and
hey, I'm really grateful. My wife is a former teacher and
taught hey, in alternative schools. So we know what can be
given, giving young people a second chance.
And so over and over we've got examples of progress, but I
want to wish you well and I'm just really grateful that the
communities I represent have really wonderful school boards
doing a great job. I yield back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next is the gentleman from the
Northern Mariana Islands, Mr. Sablan.
Mr. Sablan. Yes, thank you very much Chairman Scott for
holding--and Ranking Member Foxx for holding this hearing. Mr.
Secretary welcome, and I look forward to working with you very
closely as we proceed with the President Biden's
administration's priorities on education. But Mr. Secretary,
studies show that children in preschool are more academically
and socially prepared for kindergarten than their peers who did
not attend.
As Chair of the Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary
Education Subcommittee, I am pleased that the Biden
administration has made providing access to this learning,
early learning programs a top priority. President Biden's
American Families Plan proposes universal quality preschool for
all three-and 4-year-olds.
Additionally, the budget calls for an additional 175
million for preschool development grants, which has helped my
district, the Northern Marianas and other districts expand high
quality preschool programs. So Mr. Secretary, could you speak
to the importance of these proposals and how they will further
benefit children and families across our Nation please?
Secretary Cardona. Sure. Thank you for this opportunity. I
remember serving as a school principal and we had programs for
students as young as 3 years old, and we saw the growth that
took place in those 2 years. And then I saw students come into
kindergarten that didn't have the benefit of programs like the
quality program we offered, and I can tell you that those--many
of those students had a need for intervention that was much
greater.
Many of those students didn't enjoy school as much as those
students who did have the benefit of having quality early
childhood program, where you can develop executive functioning
skills, social skills and basic numeracy and literacy skills,
but more importantly their social and emotional skill. We know,
studies show students are able to have more success in middle
and high school. They're more likely to attend, participate in
higher level courses and go on, and we know that the return on
investment, some studies have it as much as 7 to 1.
So I think for us it's an investment. For any educator that
teaches in the early childhood years, they can tell you about
the benefits for these young learners, and the foundation that
it sets for their growth. I think that can't be overstated. I
can tell you also that I've seen where it costs more to
intervene because there's not a good foundation. So this
American Families Plan proposal to provide pre-K for three and
4 year-olds to me is a great way to make sure that our students
have a quality education.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, thank you and you know, I was just--
I'm here and I don't--I think you're nearby your offices, and
if you look out the window Mr. Secretary, it's just such a
beautiful day. I'm glad that we are returning to normal. I'm
glad that we look forward to schools reopening for face-to-face
instructions in September, and also, I will follow that with an
issue Mr. Secretary, that the President's Fiscal Year 1922
budget calls for a 62 percent increase in K to 12 education
investment.
A critical component of this investments is Title 1A, which
has provided resources to deliver high quality education to
Mariana students and those in other economically disadvantaged
areas or poor communities. And it is long overdue for a funding
boost, a view shared by many of my colleagues on this
Committee, which joined my call to fund Title 1A at $36-1/2
billion.
Mr. Secretary, as we look forward to reopening schools, as
we look forward to seeing children running around and playing
in the school yards, why are these investments needed now after
the significant investments Congress has made in K through 12
education through the CARES Act, the 2021 Corona Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the American Rescue
Plan?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. We know the pandemic did a
number on many communities, densely populated communities,
communities where there are mostly people of color. You know,
recent data shows that in April, even in those communities
where in-person learning options were made available, only 50
percent of black and brown students took advantage and only 40
percent of Asian students took advantage in Grades 4 and 8.
What that tells us is that as much as we'd like to think
the pandemic is over, we still have work to do to build
confidence and ensure that our students are getting into the
classroom. But as you know, there is no substitute for in-
person learning, and when those students do return, they're
going to have not only more academic needs. So these Title I
funds really are aimed at closing those gaps that were
exacerbated, but they're also going to have needed to support
the trauma that they experienced.
As I said earlier, the mortality rate in those communities
was also higher. So there's a lot of work to do to not only get
our students to be prepared for learning and make up whatever
was lost, but also to build back better. Because in those same
communities, Congressman, in those same communities the gaps
existed for decades, outcome gaps which was mentioned earlier
in a question. So we have to do more to give our students an
opportunity to succeed in life.
Mr. Sablan. Mr. Secretary my time is up, but I'd like to
say personally on this hearing with you is that we need, that
the information you share with us is such a breath of fresh air
compared to your predecessor. I am dead serious about this. But
welcome, congratulations on your confirmation and I look
forward, really look forward to working with you sir.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, sir, as do I.
Mr. Sablan. My time is over, I exceeded, so I apologize.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The next speaker is the
gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson.
Mr. Thompson. Chairman, thank you so much and thank you for
this hearing, and Mr. Secretary thank you for being here today.
Much appreciated. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
which was reauthorized through the 'Every Student Succeeds
Act,? provides obviously extensive resources and funding for K
through 12 education.
As you know, Title I of this legislation distributes
funding to local educational agencies to improve the
achievement of disadvantaged children, children that find
themselves in poverty circumstances, a huge impact on learning.
However, the current formula has the perverse effect of
diverting funds from high poverty LEAs to lower poverty LEAs
regardless of the actual poverty rates.
To fix this, I introduced legislation that address these
inequities in the formula by reducing the number, reducing the
effect of number weighting, which inflates allocations under
the current system to larger districts, even though they tend
to be in suburban areas with more robust economic
circumstances. While this legislation did not become law, ESSA
required the Department of Education to look into this matter
further.
As such, in 2019 the National Center for Education
Statistics released a report on how this formula affect various
types of school districts. The report stated what we already
knew. Schools received Title I allocations based on their
location or their zip code, rather than the actual need of
children. So Mr. Secretary, I'm curious to know your thoughts
on the current Title I formula, and do you believe that
children should receive equitable funds under the law
regardless of their geographic location?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman, for the question
and for the comments. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the
intent of the Title I funds are really to help level the
playing field and for those students who need more. They need a
little bit extra. So in this proposal, we are proposing a $20
billion increase, and the formula for that will complement
Title IA, but we are really thinking about how to work with our
partners, including yourself and others, to see where it's
needed the most.
The pandemic did a number. I can tell you the stories that
I've heard from rural communities was devastating, about how
the digital divide really prevented access. We know that some
communities were hit harder by the pandemic than others. So I'm
very interested in ensuring that the funds go to where they're
most needed. That's what the President's intent was with this
budget, with the American Families Plan, with the American
Rescue Plan, and I understand your commitment to making sure
the students that need it the most get it.
I'm committed to doing that and working with you to make
sure that that happens sir.
Mr. Thompson. Mr. Secretary, I appreciate that. I look
forward to working with you, and this truly is a strongly
bipartisan initiative. This passed with bipartisan support in
the House version of the ESSA, and it kind of got watered down
to a study because of our colleagues in the Senate. So it was a
strong bipartisan work, and I look forward to working with you
on that.
As the co-Chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical
Education Caucus, passage of the Strengthening Career and
Technical Education Act with the 21st Century Act in July 2018
was one of my proudest moments as a Member of Congress. This
legislation went into effect in July 2019 and bolstered our
Nation's CTE system by increasing alignment with in-demand
jobs, improving employer engagement so that more students have
opportunities to move into, you know, into in demand jobs and
successful careers.
Can you provide an update for the Committee on the
implementation of this law, and how funding provided through
the stimulus packages in the past year, the past year and half
I'd say has supported career and technical education
opportunities?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that, and I share your
support for career and technical education. Having graduated
from a technical high school and just understanding how we need
to evolve in education, to make sure that we have pathways into
the workforce and that we have partnerships with our workforce
partners to ensure that our students have multiple options,
including 2-year, 4-year colleges, but also pathways to jobs
that exist now, high-paying jobs that exist now.
I'm excited about the opportunity, and I look forward to
working with you and communicating with you on the progress of
that plan and what we plan on doing moving forward. So I look
forward to having followup with you on that, and also sharing
that this is in alignment with the President's vision for the
budget. There are funds, 1.47 billion discretionary request to
increase career and technical education.
We recognize that this is where we're going as a country
and it is a bipartisan effort that I know having met someone
that doesn't think that this is something we need to do and do
well. So I'm excited about working with you and others to make
sure that all of our students across the country have great
options, great pathways. We need to start as early as middle
school to make sure that we're designed for success. I look
forward to working with you on this sir.
Mr. Thompson. I appreciate that and look forward to talking
with you offline about that one billion in new mandatory
funding, and just looking to see how that may line up with or
not, with the State grants authorized under Title I of Perkins
V. So thank you so much. Thank you, Chairman.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next, we have the gentlelady
from Florida who's a former principal, Ms. Wilson.
Ms. Wilson. Still a principal, always a principal. Thank
you, Mr. Chair and thank you, so much Secretary Cardona for
making time to join us today. I have so many questions and so
many ideas. I'm going to submit them for the record as we
move--when I run out of time.
The past year has disrupted the education of millions of
students and placed a tremendous strain on our students,
parents, and our teachers. At my last meeting, I realized that
there are three million children still missing from our public
schools. No one knows where these children are.
And as Chair of the Higher Education and Workforce
Investment Subcommittee, I held a hearing earlier this year to
examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher
education. The historic investments made in our education
system, including through the American Rescue Plan prove that
Congress can and should do more to address long, long-standing
inequities and funding imbalances.
We can help close the 23 billion racial funding gap that
exists between school districts serving students of color and
those serving predominantly white students, promote universal
access to an affordable, quality higher education and provide
relief to the 45 million borrowers who hold roughly $1.7
trillion in student loan debt.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2020 (sic) budget is an excellent
starting point to tackle these generational issues. I do have a
few questions. I am concerned about the raging, raging of
mental health issues in our school districts and in our
colleges and universities. I want to know how will the
Department of Education help and support our school districts
with providing additional counselors, nurses, opening up
schools safely, K through 12 schools safely for teachers and
students, incentivizing vaccinations, opening colleges and
universities safely and a smoother transition between
elementary, K-12 to college? There's a huge line of demarcation
there.
Supporting Black men and boys in their path of higher
education has been my life's work, and I need to find out from
you, not today but as we converse, how to increase higher
education access to--for black men and boys, which research has
shown there's a disproportionate burden on them. Also, I was
happy to hear you say that student loan, forgiveness of student
loan debt and support of moving forward to erase student loan
debt was at the top of your agenda.
But one specific move that I want to ask you a question
about is the Student Defense Through the Freedom of Information
Act. There are roughly 500,000 borrowers with a proven legal
right to have over $8 billion in student loans canceled under
the Total and Permanent Disability Discharge Program.
The Department already knows the identity of these
borrowers. What steps are you taking to ensure these borrowers
obtain relief as quickly and as easily as possible? I would
like to get you to today to commit to do everything in your
power to expedite the discharge for these 500,000 Americans
with disabilities.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congresswoman Wilson. Your
passion and for your service as a principal, one of the best
jobs out there. You know, you mentioned so many different
important topics. I can assure you that this budget and our
goals are to increase aid for high poverty schools, to advance
equity in education including higher education access, expands
access to college through Powell and supporting underserved
students, over 600 million toward the HBCUs.
We have to make critical investments in teachers, in school
leaders and in mental health supports. As the student from
Harvey Milk High School who spoke to me said, I'm going to need
help, I'm going to need access to mental health support, I
experienced a lot, and it's on us to make sure we're
delivering. The American Rescue Plan provides funds for that.
In the budget there's a billion dollars to double school
counselors.
And with regard to your question on total and permanent
disability, we restored discharges for 41,000 borrowers and
have a total--who have a total and permanent disability. Then
we've lowered the reinstatement risk for another 190,000.
But I will, I will commit to ensuring that this will
continue to be a priority, that we'll continue to work with you
and others to make sure we're communicating what we are doing,
but to prioritize the needs of our borrowers who after this
crisis do need support. Thank you.
Ms. Wilson. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next, we'll have the gentleman
from Michigan, Mr. Walberg.
Mr. Walberg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Secretary
thank you, for being here. It's very clear from your
statements, your history that you have a passion for education,
and I like that. A passion that wants to focus students on
achieving. But having said with all due respect as well,
similar comments that I made to your predecessor, my good
friend and Michiganian Betsy DeVos, the Department of
Education, the Federal Department of Education is set up to
fail.
It has been set up to fail from the very beginning, because
it was set up to control and you as a classroom teacher,
administrator understand that the creativity of education, the
ability to meet the needs of individual students, comes at the
local level. The states are set up in their constitutions and
their responsibilities to promote education for all that's
good.
And so I say this with all due respect, I wish you well,
but I think the best thing you could do is remove, remove the
U.S. Department of Education from as many areas of controlling
what goes on at the classroom level, at our teachers' level and
our states as much as possible. I think it's evidenced by a lot
of turmoil that's taking place in the education world now
relative to some of the curriculum.
Mr. Secretary, you proposed grant priorities under the
American History and Civics Education Programs that among other
things endorse the 1619 Project. It's, as you know it's become
a major issue. Do you agree that the 1619 Project is a
curriculum taught in schools?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for your comments. First of
all, as an educator I do agree that the innovation and best
practices and decisions around what students need is best left
to the local districts and the State. We don't, we don't get
involved in curricular issues. We don't recommend, mandate, and
as an educator who has had experience in the classroom,
building leader at a local and State level, I recognize that
that's where it should be. However--
Mr. Walberg. Let me just move back to the question. Do you
agree that the 1619 Project is a curriculum taught in schools?
Secretary Cardona. I don't, we don't get involved as a
Federal Government in monitoring curriculum in schools. I think
that's a State responsibility, so I couldn't answer whether or
not it is being taught in schools.
What I can tell you is that we don't have a role, but as an
educator I will tell you that I've heard from educators, I've
heard from students, from parents that when students see
themselves in the curriculum, they're more likely to be engaged
and they're more likely to feel comfortable and feel a sense of
community and that schools are providing, as Dr. Rudine Simms
Bishop calls, ``windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors.''
They see themselves in the curriculum and see others--
Mr. Walberg. But let me jump back in.
Secretary Cardona. Sure.
Mr. Walberg. You in your grant proposal indicated the 1619
Project there. The law prohibits, the law clearly prohibits the
Department of Education from prescribing direct curriculum and
offering payments for it. Section 103(b) of the Department of
Education Organization Act, Section 438 of the General
Education Provisions Act, Section 8527 of Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. Will you retract your proposed grant
priorities in order to comply with the Federal law?
Secretary Cardona. We shouldn't lose sight of the bigger
issue here. We're not promoting curriculum. We are
communicating that districts and states have the responsibility
to do that. We don't also want to be engaged in the
politicizing of curriculum. So we recognize our role, and we'll
stay true to our role, which is not to engage ourselves in
local curriculum.
Mr. Walberg. But you have signaled a desire for that
curriculum by the grant proposal that you have there. That's
our concern, and I would encourage you to live by the law and
not violate it. That's a concern that I think is very important
for you to understand, and even in interviews you've done in
Atlanta, you said I'm signaling that we need a curriculum, and
then you changed and said or that we need to allow educators to
develop curriculum, where students see themselves in it and
where diverse perspectives are shared.
I concur with the desire to see diverse perspectives. 1619
Project is not a diverse perspective. It defames the history of
the United States, but more importantly the Department of
Education by law is precluded from doing that and prohibited
from signaling, proposing, or granting for those proposals. So
Mr. Secretary, I want to work with you on that, but we will be
watching there and hope that you'll follow the law. I yield
back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next the gentlelady from Oregon,
Ms. Bonamici.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you so much Chairman Scott and Ranking
Member Foxx, and thank you Secretary Cardona for being here
today, to discuss some of the most important issues facing our
Nation's children and youth and'Secretary Cardona, I am
thrilled to have a public-school champion leading our efforts.
Especially important now as we are helping families, students,
educators, and our families recover from the pandemic.
There are many critical issues in this committee's
jurisdiction and thank you for your commitment to increase IDEA
funding, your support for early childhood education and more.
But because of time I'm going to focus on two issues, the
importance of the Every Student Succeeds Act Title IV(a)
grants, especially in helping to close the achievement gap, and
then the second issue is supporting student loan borrowers.
So, we know that the pandemic exacerbated existing
inequities and you talked about that this morning, and widened
the achievement gap especially for Black, indigenous and Latinx
students. We know that students benefit from a well-rounded
education that includes the arts. You talked about that.
The Student Support and Academic Enrichment or SSAE grant
program under Title IV(a) of ESSA is important because those
grants fund well-rounded education they fund safe and healthy
students. And that includes mental health and trauma-informed
practices, and they fund technology.
So in the President's Fiscal Year 1922 budget, the Title
IV(a) grant program would receive flat funding even though the
needs have increased. In fact, I've led a bipartisan Title
IV(a) appropriations letter again this year, and we are
recommending $2 billion, which is more than the President's--
[inaudible].
So Mr. Secretary, how will the administration strengthen
access to well-rounded education and close achievement gaps and
meet those important needs of technology and student health,
and also how will the Department provide technical assistance
to states--[inaudible]--to make sure that Every Student
Succeeds Act is implemented as intended?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that question. We share
your passion and concern for all students and their enrichment,
as well as their mental health needs. The budget does have one
billion toward doubling down on the number of school counselors
and social workers to address the needs of our students and our
staff.
I think we can't ignore the fact that our educators have
also gone through trauma, and we're asking them to go back into
the workplace and support our learners who have experienced
trauma, and we have to make sure we're taking care of our
educators, our para educators, our bus drivers. We've
experienced this together; we're going to heal together.
So with regard to the Title IV, we recognize your question
and also understand that in the American Rescue Plans, funds
are made available to support innovative programming, whether
it's through summer programming which should look very
different than your traditional summer school. I said in one
location I'd love for this to be a did-free summer for our
students across the country.
So that American Rescue Plan are there for innovative
programming into the fall, into the upcoming school year. I
know educators recognize that we, in order to build back
better, have to really double down on innovation and ensuring
that students have access to acceleration, to creative
programming. You know, in my conversations with educators, I've
visited about 10 different, 10 or 11 different states.
That's what I keep hearing, that we cannot go back to what
it was before. So I anticipate that funding that is being made
available to schools is fueling innovation, it's fueling
creative measures to get students re-engaged in ways that we
haven't in the past. That's the charge for educators across the
country, and I believe we can do it. I look forward to working
with you to make sure that your goals and your hopes for what
we want to see out of Title IV come to reality, and maybe
sharing some examples of great practices across the country as
well.
Ms. Bonamici. OK. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I know you've
mentioned student loans, and to followup on Chairwoman Wilson's
questions, you know, we know the student loan borrowers have
been saddled with unimaginable debt, and that was true even
before, unmanageable sorry, even before the pandemic. Now we're
facing these, sort of emerging crises. The pandemic repayment
solutions that are unworkable. I want to mention the Public
Service Loan Forgiveness Program that--[inaudible]--repayment
plans.
The student borrowers face that cliff of repayment with the
forbearance scheduled to end in September if not extended. And
along with Mr. Courtney, I do support that extension. So what
is the Department doing to support student borrowers as they
transition back to repayment, and will these measures be made
permanent to improve repayment programs in the long term, which
I think is the critical part of this question, for short-term
and long-term relief.
Secretary Cardona. Sure. First and foremost, we have to
change the culture of what it is. Right now, it's broken, and
we have to recognize that it needs an overhaul. Public Service
Loan Forgiveness, you know, borrower defense and making sure
that our--those with total permanent disabilities have the
support and relief that they need, that they deserve.
We're communicating regularly with borrowers. We're making
processes a lot simpler. You know, I remember meeting with
borrowers recently. I had a phone conference with them, and I
was getting frustrated by the end of the call with the level of
hoops that they had to jump through. That's unacceptable. We
need to do better. We have Richard Cordray on there now, and
the charge is really let's not do incremental change. Let's
make sure that we're servicing our students, our borrowers,
putting them at the center of the conversations, thinking about
how our policies look from the perspective of the borrower.
We need to do better and we're going to communicate with
them regularly, not only to share what we're doing but also to
listen, to see how the experience is going to make it better
continuously.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and Mr. Chairman as
I yield back, I request unanimous consent to enter into the
hearing record an article from Oregon Public Broadcasting that
mentions Mr. Mike Schofield from Beaverton, Oregon. He's an
assistant superintendent, saying that the challenges of
providing school services during the past year are
unprecedented, and fortunately so was the Federal funding from
the American Rescue Plan, and critical in closing gaps, and I
yield back. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you, thank you. Next, we have the
gentlelady from New York, Ms. Stefanik.
Ms. Stefanik. Yes. Thank you, Chairman Scott. Secretary
Cardona, students in rural communities have a higher high
school graduation rate, yet they are less likely to enroll in
post-secondary education, and those who do enroll they often
face unique barriers that make them more likely to drop out
without completing their education. Addressing this attainment
gap will go a long way in unleashing the untapped economic
potential of rural America.
And in the final fiscal year 1921 appropriations bill, I
was proud to lead a bipartisan effort to secure $10 million for
grants to support innovative locally driven approaches to
improve rates of post-secondary enrollment and completion among
rural students. The problem is the Department has yet to issue
a notice inviting applications for this rural post-secondary
and economic development grant program that funds rural
students.
Can you provide an update on the status of the Department's
efforts to distribute this funding?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative. I share your
passion around making sure that our students in rural areas get
the supports that they need to have access like every other
student. So thank you for the question. I'm going to ask my
staff today to reach out to you and your staff to provide an
update.
Ms. Stefanik. That would be great, and can you commit to
working with me and this Committee to get things moving on that
funding?
Secretary Cardona. Absolutely.
Ms. Stefanik. Great. My next question has to do with
foreign influence on college campuses. Republicans have been
leading the fight against the malign activities of the Chinese
Communist Party, including their corrosive influence over
America's colleges and universities. The Trump administration
was the first to truly hold colleges accountable for foreign
influence on campus and uncovered over $6.5 billion of
previously unreported foreign donations to institutions of
higher education, which have anonymized identities of their
donors.
And it's not just donations. Congressional Republicans'
China Task Force successfully highlighted the Chinese Communist
Party's relentless efforts to influence our higher education,
from their recruitment of U.S. academics to their theft of
research and intellectual property at American universities.
Just over a year ago, we learned that the Chair of Harvard's
Chemistry Department participated in China's Thousand Talents
Program and was charged in connection with aiding the Chinese
Communist government.
This should concern every American and left unchecked,
Chinese influence on American campuses puts our national
security at risk. So, with that in mind, Mr. Secretary, how
does your Department plan to hold colleges and universities
accountable to their Section 117 reporting requirements for
foreign gifts and contracts?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative Stefanik. This
is another issue that we share your concern in making sure that
we are looking into this. I can commit that we'll work with you
and others to listen to the concerns and be swift about
communicating where we believe changes need to be made. I
commit to working with you and others to make sure that we're
looking at this.
Ms. Stefanik. And are you going to hold the actual colleges
and universities accountable for those reporting requirements
in Section 117?
Secretary Cardona. Yes. If there are reporting requirements
that need to be followed, we will hold them accountable to make
sure that those are happening.
Ms. Stefanik. Great, and then the other proposal I wanted
to raise to you is that in the China Task Force, one of the
recommendations was to lower that reporting threshold from
$250,000 gifts to $50,000 gifts. Is that something the
Department is committed to working with us on?
Secretary Cardona. We're committed to working with you on
making sure that the proposals that you put forward are
administered and understanding more of the issue and more of
the concerns that you have.
Ms. Stefanik. Thank you, I yield back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, we have a number
of educators who will be asking questions. The gentleman from
California is another one of those. Mr. Takano was a former
teacher. Mr. Takano.
Mr. Takano. Well thank you for reminding everyone of that,
Chairman Scott. Secretary Cardona, welcome. The State attorneys
general have historically been the first line of defense
against predatory, for-profit colleges. For example, in 2015,
then California Attorney General Kamala Harris, in coordination
with the Obama administration's Department of Education,
jointly uncovered decades of fraud at Corinthian colleges.
However, in Secretary DeVos' final appearance before this
Committee, she testified that the Department would not obey a
Federal court ruling requiring the Department to consider
evidence of fraud states attorneys general brought to the
Department. Secretary Cardona, I want to ask you will you and
your Department comply with Federal law and adjudicate borrower
defense claims brought by State attorneys generals?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. We look forward to working
closely with attorneys general and others to make sure that
we're defending our borrowers, we're supporting our students.
We're committed to protecting students from predatory practices
at all institutions, period. That is going to be our focus. We
have to be very strong with that because our borrowers right
now, especially after the pandemic, can't afford to be taken
advantage of or can't be victims of misconduct, in particular
from for-profit institutions.
So I commit that we will be working on that. We'll be
working closely to make sure that we provide relief for those
borrowers who are taken advantage of through misconduct of
institutions.
Mr. Takano. Well, with respect to complying with Federal
law and court rulings, can we expect the Department to fall in
line with rulings that protect students?
Secretary Cardona. Definitely, yes.
Mr. Takano. All right, thank you. Second, in addition to
complying with Federal law, how are you working with State law
enforcement to ensure that borrowers are protected by--from
predatory for-profit colleges?
Secretary Cardona. Well as I said earlier, you know, we're
looking at this whole issue as a priority for us. We hired
Richard Cordray to lead the FSA, and we're assembling a team
who understand the importance of putting our borrowers at the
center of the conversation and making sure that the policies
and regulations and enforcement protect our borrowers.
So we're going to work with our stakeholders including our
State leaders and attorney generals, to make sure that we're
hearing information, and we're signaling also to the lenders
and to all institutions that we're monitoring this and that
we're going to do so with intent to protect our borrowers.
That's going to be the messaging you're going to be seeing.
As you know, we're trying to assemble a team in that
office. We have Richard Cordray. We're waiting on a couple of
others. But that's a priority for us at the Department.
Mr. Takano. Well, I understand the messaging, the intent by
the messages. But I hope there will be action and enforcement
and protection. Last week, the Department of Education
announced it was adding two new categories of borrower defense
claims that would result in 18,000 borrowers who attended the
failed for-profit ITT Technical Institute, receiving $500
million of debt forgiveness. 18,000 borrowers receiving $500
million of debt forgiveness.
ITT Tech lied to those borrowers regarding their employment
prospects and their ability to transfer credits. What will debt
relief mean for these borrowers, Mr. Secretary?
Secretary Cardona. It means--it will mean a lot. It will
let them go on and buy their homes, let them move on with their
lives. You know this burden of debt, especially if you were
taken advantage of and you weren't even able to finish your
degree, puts these borrowers in a really bad position. And I
want to be very clear, we haven't been sitting idle. We've
provided $1.5 billion relief through borrower defense. We've
delivered for the 72,000 borrowers that needed that relief.
We also approved 500 million in new discharges for 18,000
borrowers who attended ITT, as you mentioned. So we're
continuing to push here. We recognize it's a priority. Every
opportunity that we have to either provide discharges or relief
we will, and we're sending messages.
I think we're not just waiting for the public, for the loan
forgiveness decision to be made. We're doing what we can to
provide relief to our borrowers who have been taken advantage
of, and we're going to continue to do that.
Mr. Takano. Mr. Secretary, in the time that I have, for the
time we have remaining, how does this step fit within the
Department's overall work to stop unscrupulous for-profits from
harming students in the first place, not letting them get into
debt?
Secretary Cardona. We're going to be monitoring it closely.
We're advocating for those who are being taken advantage of.
When we talk about equity and access, we need to make sure we
stop bleeding, but also address the issues that result, those
symptoms that result when we have students taken advantage of.
Mr. Takano. Thank you, I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. I notice that the gentleman from
Wisconsin has returned. The gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr.
Grothman.
Mr. Grothman. We never left; I don't think.
Chairman Scott. I didn't see you, I'm sorry.
Mr. Grothman. But that's OK. I'm glad you noticed me. OK
Mr. Secretary, I've got a question for you. I can never
remember a time in my public life in which parents and
grandparents are more concerned about curriculum in American
education, be it K-12 or universities.
You issued proposed priorities for American History and
Civics Education classes. Within these priorities, you
approvingly quoted the Professor Ibram X. Kendi's book, ``How
to be an Anti-Racist.'' He argued for what he calls an anti-
racist amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He says that among
other things, the amendment should establish a Department of
Anti-Racism to monitor public officials for expressions of
racist ideas. I mean today it seems like everybody's racist,
monitor public officials.
His proposed amendment would require the Department of
Anti-Racism to pre-clear all local, State, and Federal
policies. Mr. Secretary, do you think this is kind of a radical
proposal or kind of inconsistent with where we should be going?
Secretary Cardona. I want to comment that for me, it's
really important. I reiterate at every opportunity that I have
that the Federal Government doesn't get involved in curriculum.
And I think it doesn't proscribe nor does it mandate. Does it
regulate curriculum? That's left to the states and the locals.
And I think, you know, quite frankly it's probably more
political than it is a program. So I want to make sure that I
make that clear every chance I have.
Mr. Grothman. It kind of concerns me a little that you
quote this guy. Do you, you know, I just read a little bit
about what he's got in there. Do you understand that's radical
and outside the mainstream or should be outside the mainstream?
Secretary Cardona. Again, the focus for us is really giving
districts and states the opportunity to select, and to think
about educating. And I'll be very frank with you. You're an
educator, right? I trust educators across the country to make
decisions on what their communities need, and we have local
boards for that reason. And we have State officials for that
reason. It's really not the Federal Government's role to
determine what gets taught.
Mr. Grothman. I'm glad you think that way. You can
understand why it concerns people, to have the Secretary of
Education kind of quoting positively this professor's ideas. Do
you have any comment on that? I mean, you know, you mentioned
him. You mentioned him approvingly. Do you realize how radical
and kind of how out of touch this guy is?
Secretary Cardona. I realize educators across the country
understand how to create a sense of community using curriculum.
But I also don't want to miss the opportunity for educators to
proactively communicate how important it is to provide diverse
perspectives. Again, you know, as an educator when we have
curriculum that brings students in and they're able to see
other students, other stories of people who are from different
cultures.
It gives them an awareness of the world that they're
walking into and they're better prepared, sir, for life when
they have a well-balanced curriculum. And I trust that
educators across the country and policymakers at the local
level have that in mind when they make decisions.
Mr. Grothman. OK. A little while back--we're running out of
time here, I and 18 of my colleagues were on June 10th wrote a
letter regarding anti-Semitism on college campuses, and the
significance of President Trump's executive order on combatting
antisemitism. Do you--are you familiar with the letter? Are you
familiar with the letter?
Secretary Cardona. Yes, thank you. My staff has the letter,
yes.
Mr. Grothman. OK. Are you familiar with the Executive Order
13899, Combatting Anti-Semitism?
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Mr. Grothman. Do you want to--can you publicly commit here
to enforcing Title VI in line with Executive Order 13899?
Secretary Cardona. I commit to looking into it more and
working with you to make sure that we're combatting
antisemitism. Prejudice of any kind has no place in our
schools, and as educators and leaders we have to make sure
we're working together in a bipartisan form, fashion to ensure
that our schools are safe from any type of harassment or
prejudice.
Mr. Grothman. I want to ask you just one more followup on
past contact we've had. I am an advocate for work centers and
workplace choices for people with disabilities. I'm afraid a
lot of people in Washington are going to take steps toward
closing these without being adequately familiar with them. I've
talked to you before. Can you commit to visiting some of these
work centers with me or someone else before you--
Secretary Cardona. Yes. As I said on the call, I look
forward to it. I enjoy visits. I've been out to a lot of
different places looking at reopening, and that is on my list
of places that I want to visit to learn more about the issue.
Thank you, sir.
Mr. Grothman. I hope I get to go along. Thank you much.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentleman's time has
expired. Mr. Secretary we have another educator, a former
college professor, Dr. Adams from North Carolina.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ranking
Member, for holding this meeting, and thank you Secretary
Cardona. Good to see you again. I am an educator as Mr. Scott
has said, lifelong 40 years on a college campus, but also
training or working with the young people who are going out
into teaching. And I'm also the mother of an elementary school
principal. But thank you for your testimony, thank you for
being an educator.
The National Center for College Students with Disabilities
in North Carolina collects information and conducts research
about provisions for individuals with disabilities at campuses
across America, provides technical assistance and information
to those seeking aid and reports to the Department of Ed about
the current status of college students with disabilities.
They work hard to support students. They're concerned that
it won't receive the funding that they need to operate. I did
send you a letter, Secretary Cardona, but because you are here,
I want to take the opportunity to ask you about an update
regarding funding for the NCCSD.
The Committee has examined the predatory behavior of some
for-profit colleges as well. You talked a little bit about
that. But I want to clarify that I'm only referring to for-
profit institutions which prey on students, and if you can
explain just a little bit more about how you're going to
oversee this, as well as, you know, speak to the letter that I
sent you or what we can do to make sure that these, this
organization continues to operate.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congresswoman, Adams, and
thank you to your daughter who's serving as a school principal.
Not an easy time to serve as a school leader, but I know across
the country families and students are counting on the
leadership of our school principals to make sure schools are
safe and welcoming places for them to learn.
With regard to the letter, I'm going to ask my staff to
followup with your staff and you to give you an update on that.
I can tell you though that protecting our borrowers is a
priority, especially from for-profit institutions that prey on
selling dreams and never delivering. Those students end up with
debt, greater debt and no credential, no degree that can help
them in the workforce.
So I recognize the challenge that they have, and we want to
make sure that we're working hard to support those students and
also keep them at the center of the conversations. We're going
to be aggressive on that and I look forward to working with you
and others who share those goals, to making sure we stop those
predatory lending or predatory practices that take advantage of
young people that want to go and pursue their dreams in higher
education. That's a priority for me.
Ms. Adams. Thank you. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored
the disparities and opportunities for different segments of our
population. I got a two-part question. If you can just briefly
discuss the Department's plans for addressing the disparities
in post-secondary enrollment and the completion among low-
income students and students of color, and the plan for
addressing disparity in student loan default, which you've
spoken to a little bit already.
Secretary Cardona. We know in higher education the impact
of the pandemic has disproportionately affected students of
color. In many cases these students are not returning back
because they have to work another job to make ends meet, or to
take care of some basic needs at the home. I recently was in
Michigan, and I spoke to a middle-aged student who wanted to
return to school but the costs of books was too high.
And we, we know that in the Family Plan the funds for
increasing Pell can help with some of those factors. We also
know that making sure we're protecting our borrowers from
misconduct is another way we can promote students getting back
in. In the American Rescue Plan, $40 billion went to higher
education. Half of that needs to go to students that are in
greater need.
So there are efforts underway to make sure that we're
getting those numbers back up, we're re-engaging those students
and I have confidence in our higher education systems and their
ability to be innovative, to engage those students that we were
not able to engage this past year, so that they can have the
opportunity to succeed. And those efforts really need to be
targeted toward those students that we lost. We know it's
disproportionately black and brown students. So the President
is also very big on ensuring that our HBCUs have the funding
that they need to continue their efforts to recruit and retain
students so that they can find success as well.
Ms. Adams. Well thank you very much. I've only got 17
seconds, but I'll send you, my question. It has to do with
taking a look at the connection between culturally responsive
education and student achievement. We'll send that on to you
and if you can give us a response, I'd appreciate it. Mr.
Chairman, I'm going to yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you, thank you. Next is the gentleman
from Georgia, Mr. Allen.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Secretary. It's
great to have you today. Both of my parents were educators, so
I learned a lot around the kitchen table every night, and so I
know, I know a little bit about what you're up against. But you
know, we've talked over and over about the American Rescue
Plan, it being necessary to reopen schools.
But I've got to tell you, you know, what do you say to tens
of thousands of educators like those teachers in my district
and certainly your State, and I congratulate you on getting
that open, who successfully put their students first and
reopened schools last fall, long before the American Rescue
Plan was enacted.
Secretary Cardona. Well like you, you know, we've work
really hard to--from Day 1, you know. March 12th, I think we
shut the schools down in 2020, and we worked closely with our
health department to find ways to safely reopen schools with
mitigation strategies. You know, we know also--
Mr. Allen. And we did that.
Secretary Cardona. Yes, but not all schools are built the
same, right? Not all districts have the same resources.
Unfortunately, I visited a school in Philly where the
ventilation system was so antiquated, hasn't had the attention
it needed. So what we wanted to make sure that the American
Rescue Plan could go toward addressing some of those issues,
PPE needs, additional staffing where we had classes of 20 or
30. We had to limit those class sizes, so that we can make it
safe for all students.
Mr. Allen. And I don't quite understand the inequities
there because like in my district. I mean we prioritized school
construction with TSPLS, ESPLS and things like that and, you
know, of course in other districts I see, you know, where
there's tremendous. I mean you know; I wouldn't want my child
to attend those schools.
But moving on, you know, many teachers have made tough
choices but, you know, families across the country made a lot
of sacrifices too, and in this everyday learning environment.
You acknowledge in your testimony that learning loss is going
to be an exceptional challenge, maybe five to 9 months of
learning during the pandemic, and of course minority students
may have lost up to a year of learning.
You know, I'm afraid we've got a generation of students who
now have been put at a tremendous disadvantage. Parents want
their schools to ramp up the skills for jobs like
cybersecurity, engineering, health care to compete with China.
Yet the Department is preoccupied with pushing civics grant
programs as already been cited like Critical Race Theories, who
have promoted a divisive theology.
Secretary Cardona, are you aware of the outcry and
frustration right now among parents with the State of education
in America? I mean this is going to be like the next grass
roots movement of this country, and I feel it. What are you
hearing?
Secretary Cardona. Yes. Really, this is more about politics
than programming. There was a very minor reference to an
example that included that. What we have focused on and as you
mentioned, and CTE. That's where we're going. We need to
modernize and evolve our high schools and our middle schools to
make sure that we're addressing what was called earlier a gap
between our high schools and our 2-year colleges, so that
students have access to good career technical education, to
those jobs in cybersecurity that you mentioned. And we have to
work more closely with the workforce.
Our agency, let me be very clear. Our agency has been
focusing on that since Day 1. We're going to continue to focus
on that and we're not going to get distracted, because that's
what our students need.
Mr. Allen. Right, right. There's a tremendous disconnect
between the business community and the education community, and
that gap needs to be closed. I've got just a little bit of time
left, but I want to enter into the record a poll, polling
results that shows overwhelming support for school choice, both
public and private school choice.
Chairman Scott. Without objection.
Mr. Allen. This recent polling shows it is highly
bipartisan. When asked, 65 percent of survey respondents were
supportive of school choice, allowing families to choose a menu
of options for their child's education. I think it was 75
percent of Republicans, 60 percent of Independents and 61
percent of Democrats survey respondents all said they support
school choice.
In your testimony, you said that you are committed to
reversing funding inequities. There's nothing more inequitable
than a wealthy parent being able to send their child to any
school they want, but outdated education policies telling low-
income parents they can't have the same opportunities.
Mr. Secretary, will you commit to working with Congress to
pass school choice legislation, to get every child in America
to attend the school that best suits their needs?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman. I fully support
the notion that every school across the country should provide
high-quality education, and while I understand choice, parents
should have choice, it should never come at the expense of a
school, a local school, and the choice shouldn't be because one
school can't meet the needs of the learners.
We need to make sure all schools can meet the needs of
learners, and not have a system of winners and losers. All
schools need to make sure they meet the needs of the students.
Mr. Allen. Yes, but until that is achieved, we need to give
the students a choice or we're going to lag behind. Thank you,
Mr. Secretary, and I yield back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The next is the gentleman from
California, Mr. DeSaulnier.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you and
thank the Ranking Member for having this hearing and hosting
the Secretary. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for your
service and your insights.
I have two areas I wanted to question you about. First is
workforce development in teaching, trying to attract the best
and the brightest in career. As we've heard from my colleagues
Ms. Adams, Mr. Takano, Mr. Allen of their own life experience,
certainly yours and their family, trying to get the best and
brightest to go into teaching and stay.
And post-pandemic, we look like the trends may be heading
in the wrong direction, and particularly in areas like the one
I live in in the San Francisco Bay area where there are high-
cost areas, it's a real challenge. 43 states say that they've
got significant shortages in science teachers, 42 states in
math and of course all states have significant shortages when
it comes to special education.
Pre-COVID, I was out at a disadvantaged school, a middle
school. I spent a day there and I asked the principal before I
left what was it that she needed the most, and she said, well,
there's a lot but behavioral health, particularly for my
teachers. The kids need more counseling.
With all that we're learning about neuroscience and stress,
deploying those assets, and funding those assets would help my
teachers a lot. This is a school where teachers left
frequently, both young ones and older ones. So I very much
appreciate your commitment in the budget, your comments, and
your testimony about this issue.
But how do we--how do we help you and engage on attracting
the best and the brightest into the teaching field and keeping
them there, and having them compensated appropriately?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much for that question,
and for acknowledging the needs and doing it from the
perspective of an educator. I appreciate you sharing that
comment from the educator. First and foremost, we need to make
sure we respect the profession. I think, you know, there's a
saying that people, you know, just because you went to school
doesn't mean you're an educator.
Our educators are dealing with so much, dealing with mental
health needs, dealing with a country that's divided that we're
unifying again. And we recognize that. Like that young man that
I spoke to at the high school in New York, they're coming back
after a pandemic and many of them are facing loss. Many of them
are facing job loss for their family Members.
And we need to make sure we restructure our schools to
provide that social and emotional well-being and support that
they need, making sure that we provide mental health access to
our students. That's how we heal together, right? The academics
will come when the students' bandwidth for learning is
increased. How do we do that? We make sure that students aren't
hungry. We make sure that students have their emotional needs
met, and that we're doing everything that we can to meet them
where they are.
The plan asks for that, and the plan also supports our
teachers in doing that. So the American Families Plan, for
example, provides about $9 billion in ensuring that we have
certification for those hard to teach and hard to reach areas,
the shortages in special education. There's Title I funding to
increase pay for teachers who are working very hard to support
our neediest learners but underpaid compared to their peers in
other professions.
So there's a commitment from the President to lift up the
profession, to respect the profession and make sure that our
teachers have the tools that they need to be successful, so
that our students can be successful.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Terrific. There's another statistic I
believe from your department that the profession is 20 percent
on average paid less than comparable fields with comparable
education, which to me sounds not as dramatic as it really is,
at least in expensive areas like the Bay Area.
I want to talk to you a little bit about ? and to the last
point though, also your commitment to community schools, to
investing and engaging the community, a very important
challenge. Representative Thompson and I some (?) years ago
worked successfully to get funding on Family Engagement
Centers. All the indications are that it really helps in
schools with achievement gap.
But I also want to talk about the exponential research that
we're getting on not just cognitive development but
neuroscience, the impact of stress, and communities and
families engaging. So I wonder if we could talk a little bit
about making sure your department is current with all of this.
And this includes of course coming out of the pandemic a
wonderful opportunity.
The kids are challenged right now as they develop, even
though we know what stress does to kids' brain development.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. I've always felt that our
practice sometimes doesn't connect with the research as much as
it should. And this is an opportunity for us to really make
sure we're following the science, especially around how
students develop emotionality, how that impacts learning, and
then our community schools.
The intent here is to make sure we're taking care of basic
needs. You know Maslow's pyramid, right? If a student's hungry,
they're not going to be as able to learn. If they're worried
about housing and security, and we have to make sure we're
connecting with our families better. This is our opportunity.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I
appreciate it.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next is the gentleman from
Indiana, Mr. Banks.
Mr. Banks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and thank you Mr.
Secretary for being with us today. As you know, the Trump
administration modernized the reporting process for disclosing
large gifts and contracts flowing from foreign countries to the
Department.
As my colleague Representative Stefanik mentioned earlier,
the Department issued a report in October 2020 revealing
universities that failed to report $6-1/2 billion in gifts and
contracts from foreign sources including China and opened 19
university investigations.
A simple quick question to get started for you. Has your
Office of General Counsel briefed you on this report?
Secretary Cardona. I have been informed of the concerns
that you expressed in your comments, yes.
Mr. Banks. Have you been informed that ? but Mr. Secretary,
have you been briefed in detail on this report? A simple
question.
Secretary Cardona. No.
Mr. Banks. OK. Will you commit today that you will request
a full briefing on this matter from your Office of General
Counsel?
Secretary Cardona. Yes, I will, and I'll reiterate what I
said to your colleague earlier. This is important to us also,
and we want to look into this matter. We want to work with you
and others to make sure that we're addressing this. As I can
tell, it's a major concern across both party lines.
Mr. Banks. Appreciate it. Nearly a decade ago, the FBI
warned that hostile foreign actors use colleges and
universities to spread propaganda, steal intellectual property
and recruit for espionage. Unfortunately for too long our
colleges and universities have turned a blind eye to these
threats.
The Chinese Communist Party knows that American
universities are home to government-funded national security
research and use Confucius Institutes and Chinese student and
scholar associations to collect our sensitive information and
send it back to Beijing.
In January, President Biden withdrew a Trump era proposed
regulation that would have established requirements for Student
and Exchange-to Visitor Program certified schools to disclose
agreements with Confucius Institutes, or risk losing their SEVP
certification. Now that you have weakened these safeguards
against the CCP, how does the Biden administration proposed to
protect our sensitive research from our greatest adversaries?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. We recognize your concern. We
look forward to working with you to make sure that we hear your
concerns and take that into account as we move forward.
Mr. Banks. So you don't reject my question?
Secretary Cardona. Excuse me?
Mr. Banks. So you don't reject my question?
Secretary Cardona. I understand you have concerns about
that. I commit to working with you and others to make sure that
we're listening to what your concerns are and communicating
with you what our plans are to address that.
Mr. Banks. We'll be following up soon with that.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Mr. Banks. I want to yield the rest of my time to Ranking
Member Foxx.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Banks. Mr. Chairman, I would like
to correct the record regarding the Public Service Loan
Forgiveness (PSLF) program. We all agree that PSLF is an
extremely complicated and flawed program. My Democrat
colleagues are not shy about placing blame on the previous
administration for all the problems with this program.
However, the previous administration just happened to be in
office when the key 10-year mark for this program was hit. I'd
like to remind everyone what we learned during that previous
hearing on the subject of the PSLF program. GAO found zero,
zero evidence that the previous administration was to blame for
the problems with this program. The record must be corrected.
Rather, the real issue was the program was narrowly
constructed in the statute. Had we worked together in a
bipartisan way to craft this legislation, this program would
look much different than it does today. So in looking for
someone to blame for the denial of 99 percent of PSLF
applicants, Democrats should look in the mirror.
Mr. Secretary, I want to say to you, if you try to fix this
program without coming back to legislation, I will be very
concerned about that because I fear you will be doing what the
Republicans have been accused of doing, and that is you will
not be following the law. I am very concerned about that.
Now I have another question to ask you. I'm very pleased
you're here today, and before--I want to discuss oversight
responses to letters and other congressional inquiries. Lots of
Members on both sides have asked this question. Congress has
the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the laws it
passes. This is one of the areas where the Chairman and I
agree, demonstrated by the Chairman's question to Secretary
Walsh.
While I appreciate your agency has responded to some
letters, not all letters have received responses. Will you
agree to require your staff to respond thoroughly and quickly
to inquiries from Members of this Committee?
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next is the gentleman from New
Jersey, Mr. Norcross.
Mr. Norcross. Thank you, Chairman. I very much appreciate
this hearing and to the Secretary, great to have you here.
Looking forward to having you in the district coming up on the
16th of July to see how we're doing things in South Jersey. But
I want to shift the focus away from some of the previous
questions to one of safety. After coming out of the pandemic,
we certainly know how important that is.
According to a June 2020 GAO report, about half the public-
school districts in this country need to replace multiple
building systems in their schools. 41 percent of them, it's
about the HVAC. We know, coming through a pandemic, how
dangerous when you spread germs can be for not only students
but for all people. One of the key components--[inaudible]--
make sure that they don't face.
How is the Department going to address the ventilation
systems so our schools, our children and their parents are
assured their kids are going into a safe school?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that. You know, my
experience in Connecticut put ventilation on my radar really
early, and we recognized that in order to safely reopen
schools, in the almost daily meetings we had we had to include
OSHA officials and folks whose job it is to look at
occupational safety.
And I can assure you that moving forward, educators across
the country are taking into account air quality and making sure
that the systems that in many cases have been neglected receive
the proper maintenance and upgrades that they need, in order to
circulate air and make sure schools are safe for our students
and our educators.
So in our handbook, this COVID-19 handbook, the second one,
we have guidance on best practices and what states and
districts should be doing. There are funds in the Plan, the K-
12 infrastructure part of the American Jobs Plan, to upgrade
and build new public schools where needed.
There's 50 billion over 5 years, making sure that our
schools are healthy places for students to learn and places for
educators to work, which includes community college upgrades as
well. I don't want to leave out our higher education
institutions who are also looking at those same issues.
So in resources, it's there. In guidance and best practices
there are resources there, and we look forward to working with
our states and our local partners to make sure that they have
what they need to be successful.
Mr. Norcross. Thank you, and Mr. Chairman, I'd like to
enter into the record a letter from the School Superintendents
Association, American Federation of Teachers, NEA, and sheet
metal workers, along with 14 others, talking about exactly what
we have here.
Chairman Scott. Without objection.
Mr. Norcross. Thank you. Second question. The Secretary's
education--[inaudible]--important. What a background that you
have that's relevant at each level of that education. The
narrative in this country is in order to make it, you have to
go to a 4-year college, and that's contributed to by--it starts
from parents.
But we know that's not the same for every kid. We have to
recognize, and we've talked about this, how children are
different, their needs, their desires, their aspirations. How
are you going to push the narrative that education is more than
just a 4-year college? and we do need those, but we also need
carpenters, electricians. We need across the field, and
everybody is equal.
How is it that when we talk about financial support and the
great things we've done in student debt, that every child, no
matter what they choose as their career, is important and can
expect that sort of support that we're doing.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman Norcross. You
know, having graduated from a technical high school, where I
was learning the automotive trade for 4 years, then having the
influence of a phenomenal teacher and it's important to name
them publicly, Mrs. Ransome (phonetic), who said Miguel, you
know, you might want to consider a career in education. You're
using your art to speak, and you might want to be an art
teacher. So I went into a 4-year college, but I recognize the
value of vocational education and career technical education.
And I can tell you; we need to evolve our schools better
and change the culture where it has very old school mentality.
We have to change that. Our schools today need to evolve to
make sure that the workforce needs that are existing today are
met, that we have a clear through line from middle school to
high school to 2 years colleges to the workforce, and then to
4-year schools too, because students may want to advance their
education.
But we have to change the culture and change the narrative,
and we do that by creating quality programs. I can tell you
that in Connecticut, you know, the running joke was if you're a
welder who knows how to code, you're set. You're not going to
have debt, you're going to have people knocking on your door to
hire you and you're going to be making a very, very good
salary.
So I recognize it. I've seen it as an educator, I've
experienced it as a student. We have to work together to make
sure not only that we're changing the narrative, but that we're
providing good pathways for students with jobs that exist now,
that are vacant now. We have to make sure we do a better job
connecting our pre-K-12 schools and community colleges.
And as you know, the American Family Plan is proposing that
at a level where I think it can really make a difference for
our country.
Mr. Norcross. Well thank you. My time expired, but I do
want to give a shout out to Mr. Borita, my 7th grade teacher.
Secretary Cardona. There you go.
Mr. Norcross. --[inaudible] educators. I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentleman from Pennsylvania,
Mr. Keller.
Mr. Keller. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you Mr.
Secretary for being here today. When we look at the outstanding
student debt, it's quickly approaching $2 trillion. President
Biden has made it clear that forgiving student debt is a top
priority for the administration, and it's also my understanding
that you agree with the goal.
Well, the narrative surrounding the student debt crisis
leads one to believe that swathes of borrowers are saddled by
burdensome debt, the data suggests that this rhetoric is
separated from reality. According to an analysis by the
Brookings Institute, households with graduate degrees owe 56
percent of outstanding student debt, despite making up only 14
percent of adults aged 25 and older and having median income
between 72,000 and 111,000 dollars.
Further, the analysis estimated that forgiving $10,000 in
Federal student debt, as President Biden has been advocating,
would cost about $373 billion. So Mr. Secretary, how does the
Department justify forgiving the debt of the highest earning
households at the expense of hard-working taxpayers, of which
the vast majority do not hold a college degree?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for sharing your perspective,
and I can assure you that examining this issue and really
making sure that we provide targeted relief is a priority for
us. There have been students who have been taken advantage of
by misconduct of institutions.
Mr. Keller. Excuse me if I can just reclaim my time. We're
not talking about institutions. We're talking about the amount
of debt that the administration wants to forgive, and the fact
that forgiving this debt is going to impact higher earners at
the expense of the earnings of households where the majority of
the people do not hold a college degree. So you know, I don't
want to--but respectfully, my question is how, how do we do
this, you know? How does the Department justify forgiving the
debt on the high earners, high earning households at the
expense of the other ones?
Regardless of what the other institutions are. They need to
be held accountable. What I want to know is how we're
justifying the Department, the Department justifying forgiving
the debt on the highest-earning households at the expense of
hard-working taxpayers, of which the vast majority do not hold
a college degree? That's the question.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman Keller. We
haven't made a decision on loan forgiveness. What I was
referring to earlier is the importance that we're going to
place on making sure that students get a good return on
investment.
Mr. Keller. And that happens--excuse me, sir. And that
happens with all educational institutions. They need to be
treated the same. Would you agree that whether it's proprietary
or not-for-profit, they need to be treated the same? Would you
agree that that's a fair statement?
Secretary Cardona. I agree, yes.
Mr. Keller. OK, because we could talk about return on
investment and the metrics for which we measure success for
students. I think that regardless of whether it's a proprietary
institution or a non-profit or a public institution, it should
be the same. I'm glad we agree on that.
Secretary Cardona. I do agree with you on that, and I
believe again this overhaul that I talk about is really more
about making sure that we're looking at things holistically,
that students are getting a good return on investment, that the
pathways that we provide them are going to lead to meaningful
careers.
I agree that this is--this process, for-profit or public.
But I also know that historically we've seen some gross
examples of misconduct toward students, and we want to be very
clear that we're going to be monitoring them more closely and
that we want to protect our students and borrowers from--
Mr. Keller. I concede that. I hope that we're going to
monitor all institutions more closely. Do we have that
commitment? I'd love to work with you on that.
Secretary Cardona. Yes, absolutely.
Mr. Keller. To ensure that the playing field's equal.
Secretary Cardona. As a first--I hear you. As a first-
generation college student, I can tell you that it's really
important that we're monitoring and that we're supporting our
learners and that we're keeping them at the center of the
conversations, that they're getting a good return on investment
wherever they go, community schools, community colleges, 4-
year, 2 year, private.
For us, we really want to make sure we keep the student at
the center of the conversation and protect them wherever they
go.
Mr. Keller. I appreciate that, I thank you for that and I
yield the balance of my time to Dr. Foxx.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Keller. Mr. Secretary, following
this line, we sent a letter regarding a report that was
commissioned by FSA analyzing the true value of the student
loan portfolio, to which your staff responded with a heavily
redacted copy of the requested document.
Since then, you've largely ignored our request for an
unredacted copy. Mr. Secretary, the lack of transparency on
this issue at your direction. If not, will you promise today to
provide that unredacted report to the Committee by the end of
the week?
Secretary Cardona. We will continue to work with you and
others to share what we have. But we stand by our report and
the work of our agency, and we're not thinking about using a
report that doesn't have the decades of tweaking that our
report does to get the numbers that we have.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next, we have on the screen the
gentleman from New York, Mr. Morelle.
Mr. Morelle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman for holding this
important hearing today to discuss the budget priorities for
the Department and thank you very much Mr. Secretary for being
with us and for your long service to the country. You're in
Connecticut. Not quite New York, but close enough.
But I want to start by sharing a quote from a very good
friend of mine, Sherry Johnson, who is the Monroe County School
Board Association executive director, on the impact the
American Rescue Plan will have on our students. The quote is
referenced from the Rochester City Newspaper titled ``Nearly
400 million of Federal aid coming to Rochester area schools.''
Ms. Johnson states ``These dollars from the ARP will take
care of those pandemic needs and allow school districts to use
budgets to get school districts ramped back up for full in-
person student instruction.'' Mr. Chairman, I'd like to submit
that article for the record without objection.
Mr. Morelle. Mr. Secretary, I'm encouraged by the
Department's administration of the ARP and the Department
recently published description of the State ARP plans. What's
the Department's plan for ensuring that State plans are
consistent with the laws, so once they're submitted that they
are consistent with Federal law?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. You know, we have a critical
point in our country's history, to make sure that the resources
that are being provided, unprecedented resources, go to where
they're supposed to go, to the classrooms, to the schoolhouses
that need it quickly, and that the funds are being used to
promote innovation but also to address the inequities that were
exacerbated during this pandemic.
What we've asked states to do is submit their plans. And
we've had over 100 calls already, to make sure that those plans
follow the expectation of promoting equity and addressing the
inequities that were exacerbated. We're going to continue to
work with states to make sure that the maintenance of effort
requirements are happening, and we're working closely with our
states and we're working closely with our Governors who have
been great.
I think we all recognize this moment we have in our
country's history to build back better. The resources are
there, the urgency from the President is there and now we have
to make sure that we match it, and make sure that the funds go
toward those students that need it most.
Mr. Morelle. Well thank you very much for that. You
mentioned earlier, I believe, the Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act, which as you know has not been funded at the
promised appropriations levels in the past. Special education
costs as I know, you know better than most, for children in
each State continue to escalate.
In New York, not only are they escalating but as everywhere
else have accelerated during the pandemic. As I join my
colleagues in the House in including funding for students with
disabilities as a part of impactful legislation, it's crucial
we receive support from across the government.
So tell me a little bit about how you see the budget plan
to increase IDEA funding for students who desperately need it,
and how the Department will continue to lead in that regard.
Secretary Cardona. Absolutely Congressman. You know first,
let me--you know, I started in the beginning saying every
number has a face, every number has a story. The calls that I
receive from parents whose children have autism, who were
sitting at home outside of their routine, outside of the tools
for learning that they were used to and accustomed to, not
being able to see their teachers or the paraeducators.
The impact that it had on those students was significant,
and I remember telling the parents that, you know, we want to
make sure their children are safe. We want to get them back in
as quickly as possible. And that was in March 2020. We have a
responsibility to make sure that we double down and provide the
support, especially for those students who were most
significantly impacted, students with disabilities who required
that additional support.
So the proposal, which includes 15, a request of 15.5
billion for Fiscal Year 2022 on IDEA Part B, which brings it up
to 14.6 percent of IDEA. It's critically important. Those
dollars will go toward additional teachers for those students
who have been sitting in front of a laptop, and we know that
the laptop won't meet their needs for students who require
occupational therapy and physical therapy in their schooling
that didn't have access to that.
We need to do more for these students. I'm glad to see that
the proposal recognizes this, and I hope we have the support on
that because these students can't wait any longer.
Mr. Morelle. Well thank you for that. If I can quickly just
switch topics a little bit. Students have experienced
significant trauma in the last year, especially true for
students in economically distressed communities. Research shows
there's been an increase in gun violence during this time
period.
According to a 2019 GAO study, students that adopt a trauma
sensitive approach report many positive outcomes. I just wonder
how states and districts are using ARP funds to implement
trauma-informed practices to support students across the
spectrum, and I know I might be out of time. Maybe you could
reflect on that afterwards.
Secretary Cardona. Happy to send information in writing.
Mr. Morelle. Terrific. I yield back Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, as I said we've
got a lot of teachers on the screen. The gentleman from North
Carolina is a physician, but he taught at medical school as I
understand it. Dr. Murphy.
Mr. Murphy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome Mr.
Secretary. I appreciate your service and your dedication to
helping our students. I'm going to talk about two topics and
ask you to talk about those. You know we've talked a lot about
crippling student debt, and you know, that's now a big, big
issue. In fact, from the ACTA, I'm looking at statistics that
show that non-instructional spending, which is something I'm
concerned about at colleges and universities from 2016 to 1917
actually exceeded the gross domestic product of 131 countries.
You know, we're talking about root causes, right. We're
talking about root causes, why this is. And so in my opinion,
rather than just us pouring more debt on this Nation, we need
to see why our colleges and universities are spending more. I
look back at my alma mater, you know. I'm looking at statistics
that show that 46 percent of their cost is on administrative
cost.
We've seen that go like a skyrocket compared to academic
costs. So let's look at in my opinion why student debt is so
much. You know, I believe the Federal Government exacerbates
the problem, as continuing increases in Federal student aid
have enabled institutions to increase their tuition rates,
confident that Congress will cushion those.
So I'm interested in how you feel we do this. How do we get
more bang for the buck? How do we cut the excess that is going
on in so many colleges and universities?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for your question and for your
concern. I share with you the importance of making sure we have
a role in ensuring a good return on investment for our learners
and ensuring that colleges are utilizing their funds to support
students.
But I'll tell you, I recently visited a school in Michigan
where I spoke to a student who is struggling with the cost of
books, and the books I think for that semester were $600,
separate from the tuition. So I also want to encourage
universities and colleges to make sure that they're looking at
the needs of students and providing supports in areas that our
students need.
The traditional student is no longer the traditional
student, right? We have parents who are going to college to get
different skills or to, you know, maybe they didn't go after
high school, but they didn't want to close the door on that
dream and they're going back now, and they might have children.
So colleges are serving more of a greater role in many
cases than they have in the past. So they might have childcare
centers there. They might have assistance for students who are
dealing with hunger and making sure that those basic needs are
being met. So I recognize the importance of a good return on
investment, but I also recognize that colleges are serving
students in ways that they haven't traditionally in the past.
Mr. Murphy. Yes, I know. I was on a full scholarship
undergraduate, and I held two jobs to help work with that stuff
and yes, I went hungry. I had a lot of Lean Cuisine meals and I
think a lot of that stuff. There's just a lot of bloat that
goes on, and we need to--we need to address that. But anyway,
thank you for your comments.
Let me just turn to one issue that is hotly debated now in
the country, and that's Critical Race Theory. Obviously, Mr.
Secretary our Nation has had a difficult history of slavery and
subsequent discrimination. That said, we also have a very proud
history of eradicating slavery, ending legal discrimination,
and fighting to overcome racism.
We have made what I believe is undervalued progress since
our troubled beginnings. We continue that fight today. However,
Critical Race Theory has a fundamental effect now on the way
young children and students view this Nation's history. So I
think looking to the future Mr. Secretary, and I'm going to ask
you this not as Secretary of Education but as an American. I
know you don't have control over curriculum.
How do you think the history of our country should be
taught? In other words, understanding that we still have far to
go, should our history be one taught from the vantage point of
victimhood or vindictiveness, or should it be one made of
achievement, progress but still more achievement and progress
to go?
Secretary Cardona. Certainly, achievement and progress I'm
proud to be an American. I'm proud of being, serving in this
role. I mean I'm an example of the American story, right? But I
think we can do that while also being honest about some of the
things we're not proud of. And I don't think our educators
across the country, I don't think it's an issue with them.
They understand how our students learn. They understand how
important it is to make sure that the curriculum No. 1 is
handled there, and I do believe, I feel very strongly about
this, that when done well it builds community. It builds pride
in our country when it can be done well. I trust our educators
across the country to get it done well.
Mr. Murphy. Great. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I appreciate
your time.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Mr. Murphy. I'll yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentlelady from
Pennsylvania, Ms. Wild.
Ms. Wild. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you Mr.
Secretary for being here with our full Committee. It's good to
see you. Before I start with my question, I just want to note
my profound disagreement with my colleague who just spoke about
the place of Critical Race Theory in our schools.
But I'll move on to the topic of school infrastructure, and
specifically the physical environment that our students learn
in. I am located, my district is located in the Lehigh Valley
of Pennsylvania. We hope to welcome you in the not-too-distant
future to our area. We experience education funding disparities
just like districts all across the country.
One of my urban low-income school districts in the Lehigh
Valley, the Allentown School District, has four schools that
were built in the 1800's, around the time when President
Ulysses S. Grant was in office. And many of the schools do not
have central air conditioning, and even if funding were to
become available for facilities upgrades, many of these old
buildings have simply reached their electrical capacity. They
can't add air conditioning.
So you know, it seems to me that it's really hard to expect
that students learning in a school that was built two centuries
ago, will find the same type of fulfillment and ability to
learn from going to schools, from going to school as students
attending wealthier schools.
And not to prolong the discussion of my own district but
let me just say right adjacent to the Allentown School District
is the Parkland School District, where their brand-new high
school, I still think of it as the brand-new high school; it
was built in 1999, it seems like yesterday.
It's a highly rated public school and has every possible
advantage and comfort that could possibly be imagined for the
students and the teachers. And that's right next door to the
Allentown School District that I just referred to. So I am
really happy that President Biden's infrastructure proposal,
the American Jobs Plan, includes $100 billion for school
infrastructure and new construction projects.
What I'd like to hear from you is let's--how would the
funding in the Jobs Plan and in the Reopen and Rebuild
America's Schools Act, which by the way I co-sponsor, help
districts like the one in my hometown upgrade their old school
buildings and build new schools where necessary.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for the question. You know,
you or I would not buy a car without air conditioning. As a
matter of fact, if the option to go into a workplace on a hot
muggy day without air conditioning, if the option exists to go
there or to work from home where you do have air conditioning,
you would likely, and I would likely go to a place where it's a
little bit more comfortable.
So why do we allow it to be normalized that our students
are in classrooms with 20-30 students without air conditioning
and that's been normalized? The President gets it. The American
Jobs Plan provides funds and through the Families Plan and the
American Rescue Plan, there's an opportunity here not only to
upgrade our systems, but to make sure that our learning
environments, as you mentioned, are conducive to learning and
to learning the way learning should be.
It's not sitting in rows facing forward. It's students
engaging with one another. Sometimes these classrooms in older
schools are really small and tight, and not conducive to good
pedagogy. So this is our opportunity to build back better, to
make sure that we're building up our schools in places where we
would want to send our own children. Every student across the
country deserves that. The American Jobs Plan, Families Plan
and the Rescue Plan and the budget promote that.
So let's--as educators, we need to make sure we're being
creative and assertive about making sure that our students get
the same opportunities for their learning that we would want in
our workplace.
Ms. Wild. And by the way, I don't--you know, we know, that
a great deal of research has shown that high quality school
facilities improves students' academic achievement, reduce
student, and staff absences and reduce student suspensions.
I was fortunate enough to also visit a brand-new elementary
school in that Parkland School District, where that more modern
high school is located just recently, and it was just
incredible. It incorporated all kinds of creative learning
spaces for students. It was the kind of place that I would want
to go.
And it's not just about comfort. I think there's not a
single person on this Committee that doesn't believe that young
people and students are the future of our country, and that we
have to do everything we can to help them learn. So I'm really
appreciative of the commitment of this administration, of
making sure that not only is the quality of the education good
and the teaching staff and so forth, but that the facilities
are conducive to good learning.
With that Mr. Secretary, thank you so much. I feel like I
could talk to you for an entire afternoon, and I hope I have
the opportunity to do that soon. I yield back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. They are inextricably linked.
They are inextricably linked.
Ms. Wild. Thank you so much.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, we've got another
educator, Dr. Miller-Meeks who is an ophthalmologist, but
taught at medical school. Dr. Miller-Meeks.
Ms. Miller-Meeks. Thank you so much Representative Scott,
Chair Scott. I appreciate that. I also have a master's in
Education, but that may make me less qualified to ask a
question. And Secretary Cardona, thank you so much for being
here. Thank you for I think the wonderful example you show to
young people what people of color can do and become. I too grew
up in the military, traveling around, going to schools in
Southeast Texas with no air conditioning, and somehow that made
me the resilient individual that I am, as are you. So thank
you.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Ms. Miller-Meeks. I also left home at 16 and started in
community college. So my question is about community colleges.
I think that they're indispensable in their local communities,
and they provide education at lower cost than 4-year
institutions.
I support each student being able to choose the best post-
secondary path for them to reach both their academic and their
career goals. I also believe states themselves should be able
to run their education systems in a way that makes the most
sense for that State.
But President Biden would have us believe that mandating
that community colleges be free is in fact the answer to the
complex problems of both access and affordability in higher
education for all students. We have great community colleges in
my home State of Iowa and in my district, but nationwide
community colleges still face a number of challenges like long
wait lists, low graduation rates and low transfer rates to 4-
year institutions.
Mr. Secretary, do you believe that community college in
every State, all community colleges, are equipped to handle the
expected influx of students attending on the promise of a free
college education, and will they be able to effectively meet
all the students' needs? If not, how can you justify the
President's budget request, to spend over $100 billion to make
community college free for all?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congresswoman. You know to
me, the challenge of meeting the demand for community college
is one that I'll accept. If we have a situation where our
community colleges have more people that want to sign up than
they can take, that tells me that there's a thirst for this and
that that's only going to have a benefit for our economy, for
our communities.
Community college graduates as you know, they graduate with
a 21 percent increase in earning potential. That's good for the
families, that's good for the community. Will it require, will
it require focus on new challenges? Definitely. However, it's
about time that we realize as a country that we need to provide
more opportunities to college access. We need to provide
opportunities for students to get skills for higher-paying jobs
that are there waiting for them.
So I do believe that this is the right step for our
country, and I recognize that it will come with challenges. But
those are challenges that I accept.
Ms. Miller-Meeks. And how can we ensure--already we know at
our K through 12 system that it has had very mixed results. We
know that we lag behind in reading and math, regardless of the
facility. So how do you expect or how can you ensure that the
mixed results in K through 12 would not be carried over into
two additional years at a community college?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks
for being able to answer that. We have been ? again as an
educator, as a principal, as an assistant superintendent, we've
been underfunded to the point where it's become normalized.
With this $20 billion investment in Title I, to focus on
addressing those achievement disparities, with the funds that
are being aimed at CTE to make sure that we have good pathways
that are engaging our learners, providing good STEM
programming, ensuring that we have good classes sizes and
support for our students with disabilities, I expect there to
be an improvement in our K-12 programming, in our K-12
outcomes.
We're going to get back from this pandemic and we're going
to improve outcomes in our K-12 system. I didn't take this
position to keep the status quo. I came to address the
achievement disparities--
Ms. Miller-Meeks. Speaking of the pandemic, I apologize.
Secretary Cardona [continuing]. and make sure we do better.
Ms. Miller-Meeks. I apologize, my time is limited, but
speaking of the pandemic and I would say that we spend more per
student than almost any other country and have mixed results.
But Dr. Murphy and I on Ed and Labor together sent a letter on
May 6th to Dr. Walensky, the Director of the CDC, raising
concerns about reports that teachers' unions inappropriately
exerted political pressure on the Biden administration to
influence CDC health guidelines on reopening schools.
The reason this is important is because in closing schools,
the rate of depression, mental health issues and suicide among
students as young as 9 years old have escalated, 31 percent
increase in mental health issues. Do you agree it's
inappropriate for teachers' unions to exert political pressure
on health officials, and do you agree that health decisions
should instead be based on the evidence?
Secretary Cardona. You know, I'm happy to have more
conversation with you on this, or even submit in writing. I do
believe the mental health needs of our students must be taken
into account, not only as we make decisions about reopening,
but as we think about what supports we're going to provide for
students in the fall.
Ms. Miller-Meeks. Both the mental health issues and also
the exercise of teachers' unions on health decisions I think is
something that we should be focused on as well too. So thank
you so much, and Mr. Chair I yield back my time.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentlelady from Georgia, the
gentlelady from Georgia Ms. McBath.
Ms. McBath. Thank you, Chairman Scott, and thank you so
much for convening this hearing. And thank you so much
Secretary Cardona, for your excellent work at the Department.
I've had a chance to hear, hear from you before. We're just
really grateful for everything that you're doing. There's been
so much value, and over the last year, you know, we've watched
as COVID-19, the coronavirus, has just really made its
devastating impact on the entire nation.
And it was a year that, you know, we saw all of our adult
children, you know, and I'm sure they were pretty upset, but
many of them having to move back with their families. We saw
graduations canceled and virtual classrooms become what we now
have to say was the new normal.
When I talk to my constituents, I mean it was clear. I
spoke with, to them over and over and over again over the
course of that time. You know, over the--even though we passed
this historic relief, you know, hard-working families, you
know, deserve a break, and we know that our students deserve a
break, and that's what I've heard.
My question comes to you about the American Rescue Plan,
which invested billions of dollars into relief for higher
education. and we know that this historic relief legislation
really sought to kind of bolster and strengthen, and some cases
improve our education system.
You know, I've heard from educators throughout my district,
and we did a lot of, you know, webinars within, just really
hearing from them. In fact, Ron Wade, who is the Fulton County
School District Chief Talent Officer, he recently just stated
that each elementary school will get a literacy coach and
another literacy-related staff Member and all this is because
of the funding that we appropriated for the American Rescue
Plan.
We know that these resources are especially critical of
course for black and Latino students, whose learning was
actually three to 5 months behind at the beginning of this
school year and could be up to six to 12 months behind by the
end of this school year, compared to the four to 8 months for
white students.
Secretary Cardona, State plans for the use of the American
Rescue Plan funds, you know, that were due on June 7th, can you
share any additional data or information on the impact that the
American Rescue Plan funding has had on the improvement of
resources to support our students, especially for vulnerable
student groups. Thank you.
Secretary Cardona. Yes. Thank you for that, and for
acknowledging the challenges that are out there, but also the
fact that the American Rescue Plan is providing relief. I loved
how you turned, you know, what some say well, look at the money
here. No. We're talking about a literacy specialist for kids
who are behind. So the money translates into people that are
going to help children be successful.
Whether that's in literacy or numeracy, or in their mental
health needs because of what they just experienced. We have 35
plans submitted. The other 15 we're working on getting them in.
We're having communication with all the states. They have some
legislative barriers to getting it in by the 7th, but we're
working with those states and we're confident we're going to
get them very soon, and we've been in communication with those
states.
Over 100 calls. Webinar with over 550 groups of
stakeholders to talk about how the stakeholder engagement
should look, how equity focus should look. So it's really given
us the opportunity to engage and partner with school
communities and states, on how to build back better.
We're seeing summer school programs expanded to include
enrichment opportunities for students who would be stuck at
home during the summer. We see extended day programs in the
fall for students to have an opportunity to engage with their
peers, after having been locked in their home for a year and a
half because the pandemic was rampant in their communities.
We have additional support personnel to assist students as
they come back, and we anticipate that they're going to need
more support. My biggest fear is that symptoms of trauma get
treated like disciplinary issues. So we have to make sure we
have more school counselors, social workers, better training
for teachers to understand how to welcome our students in a
trauma-informed school.
These funds are critical to making sure we build that
better, and making sure schools have what they need to reopen
schools, and our students can't wait any longer.
Ms. McBath. Well thank you Secretary Cardona. Thank you so
much for understanding the continuing investments that we need
to make sure that we no longer are, you know, dealing with
these disparities and we are bridging the gap that our students
so desperately need and getting them back, you know, back up on
their feet and moving toward a global education to compete
globally in the world. Thank you so much, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next is my colleague from
Virginia, who was formerly an official at Liberty University,
Mr. Good.
Mr. Good. Thank you, Chairman Scott and thank you Secretary
Cardona for being with us today. On April 19, 2021, the
Department of Education published a proposed rule prioritizing
the development of culturally responsive teaching and learning,
and the promotion of information literacy skills in grants
under these programs.
Specifically, the proposed rule references the New York
Times' 1619 Project and Professor Ibram Kendi as demonstrating
aspects of culturally responsive teaching and learning.
Secretary Cardona, the 1619 Project asserts that the
Revolutionary War was fought to preserve the institution of
slavery in American colonies. Do you believe this to be true,
and that this should be taught in classrooms across the
country?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. I do believe that our
students should be exposed to culturally relevant pedagogy and
materials. But I refer to it more as windows, mirrors and
sliding glass doors, where they can use a curriculum as a
window--
Mr. Good. I'm sorry, time is short. Could you just--could
you just answer yes, or no? Do you believe that the
Revolutionary War was fought primarily to preserve the
institution of slavery in the colonies?
Secretary Cardona. I'm not going to comment on specific
questions regarding--
Mr. Good. So you will not deny that you believe that. Do
you believe that it should be--that that should be taught, that
the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve the institution of
slavery in colonies, that that should be taught to kids in
classrooms across the country?
Secretary Cardona. I believe educators across the country
are able to decide how they teach our history.
Mr. Good. OK. I'll move on to the next question, thank you,
if you're not going to deny that you would think that that
should be taught. Secretary Cardona, Professor Kendi wrote in
this book how to be an anti-racist that, and I quote ``The only
remedy to racist discrimination is anti-racist discrimination.
The only remedy to past discrimination is present
discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is
future discrimination.''
Secretary Cardona, do you believe that discrimination in
any form is acceptable, and that discrimination should be
taught in our schools as an acceptable practice for our
children?
Secretary Cardona. No.
Mr. Good. Thank you very much, and so you will commit that
you will not support that as Secretary of Education, teaching
any discrimination in our schools?
Secretary Cardona. We should be promoting community in our
schools and I'm confident that our educators do that.
Mr. Good. Thank you, sir. Different phrases are sometimes
used to describe the radical leftist ideas that the DoE is
proposing to fund with hard-working American tax dollars. When
you were in your role as Connecticut Education Commissioner,
you called it ``woke.'' Dr. Kendi has called it ``anti-
racism,'' but many of course have known it as Critical Race
Theory.
One of the concerns that many of us have with Critical Race
Theory is that it tends to view race as predictive. New York
Times contributor Thomas Chatterton Williams even argued that
Critical Race Theory adherents shared common cause with white
supremacists. Thankfully, some states have curtailed or banned
the teaching of Critical Race Theory, including Florida, Idaho,
Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Secretary Cardona, does the Department of Education plan on
challenging the actions taken in these states and their rights
not to teach material they find as objectionable, dishonest,
and not in the best interest of our country or our children?
Secretary Cardona. So Representative Good, you know as I
stated to your colleagues earlier in this hearing that states
have the responsibility and locals for deciding curriculum. And
there is no Federal role in that. With that said--
Mr. Good. You do not, the Department of Education will not
challenge actions taken by states not to teach Critical Race
Theory?
Secretary Cardona. I would love the opportunity to finish
what I was going to say earlier.
Mr. Good. I would just like a yes or no answer please, with
just a little over a minute to go. Will the Department of
Education challenge their intention not to teach Critical Race
Theory in those states?
Secretary Cardona. As I've said before, states have the
responsibility of providing curriculum, and we understand that.
But the culturally relevant pedagogy is critically important
for students to feel engaged, and part of a school community. I
have confidence in our educators across the country to get it
right. I think this has become more--
Mr. Good. So you would not challenge it legally?
Secretary Cardona. I think this has become more politicized
than it is about programming.
Mr. Good. OK, I'm going to move on please. Thank you, sir.
My home State of Virginia unfortunately has embraced the Biden
administration's, and the Department of Education's policies
here, and it's proof that that causes all kind of issues.
You can just see this past week in Virginia's Loudoun
County, one of the largest counties in Virginia, the Board of
Education there rather than face parental criticism, they shut
down public comment, they adjourned the meeting and they
actually called police to come and arrest parents who had
gathered to express their grievances with government and local
school officials.
I hope that you will not nationalize the culture war that
started in Virginia and bankrupt Critical Race Theory with hard
earned taxpayer dollars, and I have 7 minutes left on my time
and I yield back Chairman.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentleman's time has
expired. Next Mr. Secretary is the Member you know well, former
Teacher of the Year, National Teacher of the Year from
Connecticut, Ms. Hayes.
Ms. Hayes. Thank you so much Mr. Chair and thank you
Secretary Cardona for being here. It is wonderful to see you
here today. Connecticut is so proud of your leadership, and as
your representative I can tell you it is a breath of fresh air
to sit through this hearing and listen to an actual
practitioner talk education policy. It is a welcome change.
And I don't have to tell you how proud the folks back in
Meriden are and all of the teachers in Connecticut and their
parents are to have you here. You inspire us and instill so
much confidence. Before I begin my questioning, I do just want
to take a moment to say that we hear, we're hearing a lot of
comments about the sense of fatigue about any discussion
surrounding race and the teaching of race.
I'll just say first of all Secretary, I am just, your
answer to that issue is why you're a teacher. But for those
people who are sick of hearing it or talking about it or are
fatigued by conservations surrounding race, imagine just for a
second the people who are living through it every day. I'm a
history teacher. I had to teach about the most painful parts of
our history. I had to teach slavery to my students. If I were
in the class today, I'd have to teach them about the January 6
insurrection.
So there are some things in our history that we just have
to face head on. But the role of teachers is to give kids
critical thinking skills, not tell them how to feel about
certain events. So again Mr. Secretary, I just admire you and
your leadership is just a demonstration of true educators and
what we are, who we are and what we do.
I could talk for days about education, but I want to focus
my questions around IDEA while I have you here. This past year
has been devastating for educators and for special education
students and that population and those families. When Congress
passed IDEA, they promised to cover 40 percent of the cost of
special education.
In other words, they would pay for nearly half of the
additional cost required to educate students with disabilities.
Unfortunately, Congress has never fulfilled that promise. The
number of students with disabilities served under IDEA has
increased by 25 percent, and as you stated the Federal
Government, even with the increases proposed, it would only
bring us to about 16 percent.
So just, I know you already described what the plan would
do. I just, I have two questions. I'll just ask them right now
so I can yield the rest of my time to you. Under your
leadership, will you commit to continuing these types of
investments in IDEA and being intentional and aggressive about
helping us to try to reach that 40 percent threshold.
And then my second question is something I know you care
deeply about because I've worked on several committees and task
forces with you on this issue, diversifying the educator
pipeline and infusing the pipeline. I introduced the Save
Education Jobs Act, the Diversify Act, the Teacher Diversity
and Retention Act to build on some of the work we did back in
Connecticut.
Can you talk a little bit about how this budget will
improve teacher partnerships, infuse the pipeline, and make
sure that we have the best people standing in front of our kids
who are adequately prepared?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much Congresswoman Hayes.
It's nice to see you, and I appreciated your comment from the
perspective of a history teacher. You said it best, and that's
why I feel like I trust my educators. They know what they're
doing. They know children. They went to school for this.
They're professionals. We can get it right, we will get it
right, and we will be stronger as a country as a result of
that.
And you--you're absolutely right about special education.
You know, we're hoping to get to 15 percent of the 40 percent
that was promised, right, exactly. So yes, to answer your
question, yes. We're going to be aggressive. We're going to
make sure that we continue to push for the students with
disabilities and getting the support that they need, especially
post-pandemic.
I don't have to tell you the impacts on students with
disabilities, how profound it was and how for some students
opening up a laptop and being in front of it for a long time,
they can get some. But for students with disabilities, it
doesn't really cut it. So we need to do more and this
commitment here is hopefully going to translate into better
support for our students with disabilities. So yes, yes on
that, definitely. We want to see that happening more.
And in teacher diversification, you know, your leadership--
when you were an educator in Waterbury, really moved the needle
to make sure that our professional teaching staff reflect the
beautiful diversity of our communities. And you know, there's
the data is like half the students across the country identify
themselves as people of color, yet only 20 percent of our
educators do.
We need to do more. So there's $100 million to make sure
that we're getting this right, that we're investing in programs
that diversify the ranks. I love the grow your own programs,
programs that you were a part of, to make sure that our
students see themselves as teachers. Like me when that teacher
tapped on my shoulder and said, hey, would you consider?
We need to do more of that. We need to have programs there.
We also have to be creative and innovative about how we recruit
people of color into the profession. So yes, I'm very big on
that. All students benefit when we do it right. There's funding
here for that. There's a desire there and there's partners like
you that are going to make sure that we get it done right.
Ms. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I'm so proud of you,
and with that I yield back Mr. Chair.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you, and we've scheduled a 2-minute
break at this point. But before we break, I want to remind our
Members that we need to respect each other's--we need to
respect each other during the time that someone else is
controlling the time.
During the time controlled by my colleague from Virginia,
Mr. Good, I couldn't quite hear what it was but obviously it
was an inappropriate comment that was out of order. So we want
to remind people to respect each other and not let that occur
again.
At this point, we will have a ten--minute break and as soon
as the Secretary returns, we will--we will--is it Ms. McClain?
Ms. McClain will be the first one to ask questions.
(Whereupon a short recess was taken, to reconvene this same
day.)
Chairman Scott. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. We'll now move on
to the gentlelady from Michigan, Ms. McClain. Ms. McClain, I
think you're on mute.
Ms. McClain. Is that good? Can you hear me?
Chairman Scott. We can hear you now.
Ms. McClain. All right, thank you Chairman. Mr. Secretary,
I want to thank you for being here today. I'll get right to it.
I've heard you State today that, children often require
different learning techniques in order to understand the
material. Some learn better in classroom, lectures, more hands-
on lab work; correct?
Secretary Cardona. Yes, yes.
Ms. McClain. OK, and that ensuring that students have
access to educational environments that fit their learning
styles with especially in a focus for those who are
economically disadvantaged and maybe come from some diverse
backgrounds. That that environment is critical to their
success; correct?
Secretary Cardona. Can you rephrase that? I didn't
understand what you were asking there.
Ms. McClain. Let me rephrase it. Do you think ensuring
students, ensuring that students have access to educational
environments that fit their learning styles, especially those
from environmentally economically diversity challenged
students?
Secretary Cardona. I think students learn in different ways
as you mentioned earlier, and my focus on those students who
were from areas that need additional support is ensuring that
after the pandemic, we're addressing their needs.
Ms. McClain. Perfect, thank you. Mr. Secretary, the charter
school program is a critical grant program helping numerous
students and families find the school that best fits their
needs. Yet President Biden's budget calls for a 41 percent
increase in funding, which is wonderful. However, the charter
school program is flat. Why have so many grown hostile to
charter schools when research shows that their effectiveness,
especially for those in need of high-quality education is
there?
Secretary Cardona. As I shared in previous testimony, I'm
not sure that today I did. But I have had experience with
charter schools in Connecticut, and I've seen great examples of
charter schools. I've also seen charter schools that need a lot
of attention, a lot of intervention. But same as the case, same
as the case--
Ms. McClain. As well as normal public schools.
Secretary Cardona. Can I finish my sentence? You're going
to finish my sentence. Same is the case for your traditional
non-charter schools. So I recognize they have a role and many
of them--
(Simultaneous speaking.)
Ms. McClain. But my question is why so flat? Why the budget
flat? Why are we targeting and so hostile to those charter
school programs?
Secretary Cardona. I think the President recognizes the
importance of making sure that other programs receive funding
such as Title I. The $20 billion there is really ensuring that
all students have an opportunity to access school and
accelerate their learning after the pandemic. So the priorities
in the budget clearly show that we want to make sure we're
addressing those places that have been under-invested for
decades.
Ms. McClain. But the issue is charter schools provide
higher ratios of diversities for both students and teachers,
yet we're discriminating against the charter schools.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Ms. McClain. I mean it doesn't look--
(Simultaneous speaking.)
Secretary Cardona. 'they're eligible as well for the Title
I increase that we're hoping gets your support--
(Simultaneous speaking.)
Ms. McClain. So you're saying that charter schools are
getting an increase, that it is not a flat budget?
Secretary Cardona. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying
that the funding priorities that the President made, makes sure
that students who have great need are getting access to
additional funds.
Ms. McClain. But yet they have to use the public school to
do that? I'll move on.
Secretary Cardona. Public charter schools are also a part
of that but go ahead.
Ms. McClain. I'll move on. Will you commit to working with
me and my colleagues to strengthen and support the schools in
the charter school program?
Secretary Cardona. I'm committed to working with you and
others to make sure that all schools are successful, including
charter schools. So yes.
Ms. McClain. Thank you, and then one last comment I do want
to make is I've heard all today about the Critical Race Theory.
We've talked about that. That is an issue; is that correct?
That is an issue that is coming up. Whether good or bad, I'm
not here to debate that right now. My question is we are
talking about Critical Race Theory; correct?
Secretary Cardona. We have been talking a lot in this
conversation--
Ms. McClain. Right. My thought process is that is some of
the Members on the other side of the aisle have criticized
myself and some of my colleagues, that they don't believe we
are even talking about Critical Race Theory. So I just wanted
to clear that up, and I will yield the balance of my time back
to Representative Foxx.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you. I want to say Mr. Secretary, we all
oppose discrimination in any form, and a lawsuit was recently
brought against the Department challenging its implementation
of Title IX exemption for colleges and universities which have
a religious mission. On June 8th, the Department of Justice
intervened in the case, indicating DOG (sic.) would vigorously
defend the religious exemption.
However, it seems DOJ may be backtracking. Reports have
also indicated Department of Education may revisit the
religious liberty and free inquiry final rule.
Chairman Scott. I'd ask the Ranking Member that you were
yielded with 12 seconds left. There's no way you can get a
question in and an answer.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you. I will pursue this during my time, Mr.
Chairman. I do note that you guys have gone over five minutes
and we've gone over 2-1/2. But I'll wait, Mr. Chairman. Thank
you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentleman from Michigan, Mr.
Levin.
Mr. Levin. Thanks Mr. Chairman for hosting this incredibly
important hearing and thank you Secretary Cardona for spending
all this time with us. It was great to have you in Macomb
County, and it's great to see you here before the Committee.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Mr. Levin. The American Rescue Plan made a historic set of
investments in education after what at times felt like
insurmountable challenges and pressures on our school leaders,
our teachers, our parents and above all our students. However,
my colleagues across the aisle continue to insist the ARP's
investment in our schools wasn't necessary, claiming we don't
need more funding for schools because we have more than we can
spend.
I can testify that that's definitely not the situation in
Michigan. The Republican leadership within our State
legislature continues to use the budgetary process to withhold
critical funds. Meanwhile, the superintendents in Michigan's
9th District have told me personally that this funding is
desperately needed to support our students as we come out of
this crisis.
Many school districts face budget deadlines on June 30th,
like 6 days from now, while we wait in uncertainty for our
legislature to stop playing political games. Ms. Piper Bognar,
the superintendent at Van Dyke Public Schools, described the
situation in Michigan as follows, and I'm quoting from a letter
she sent me.
``Education funding has become an unsteady system, one in
which our children become pawns in hopes that someone somewhere
will say the magic words to convince our majority,'' in the
State legislature that is, ``that their future in the most
advantaged country in the world is worth funding.''
Secretary Cardona, the American Rescue Plan requires states
to allocate ARP funds in an expedited and timely manner, and to
the extent practicable not later than 60 days after the State
receives the funds. Do you know how many states are
distributing funds within the 60 days, and for states that are
not meeting this deadline, what has the Department heard from
these states?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman Levin for that,
and I appreciate the sentiments of the superintendent, who is
absolutely right. We shouldn't be questioning whether or not
the funds are needed. I can tell you that programs are being
planned over the summer into the fall to recoup some of the
loss.
We're making sure that class sizes are adequate for
students that are coming back. We're making sure that the
social and emotional needs of students are being cared for when
they come back. We shouldn't be--we shouldn't be wondering
whether or not those funds are going to be there with regards
to maintenance [inaudible]----
We work really--we put out guidance on that before we even
put out guidance on what the plan should look like, because we
wanted to make sure that folks know. This doesn't mean--this
Federal support doesn't mean that they don't have their
responsibilities at the State and local level, where they've
also received ARP funds to do what they need to do around
education.
So we've had over 100 calls. We've had webinars with
states, and we've actually had conversations with specific
offices, to make sure that they're following the expectations
that we have and the rules that you laid out with the American
Rescue Plan, to get the funds into the schools and that they're
doing their part.
So ongoing conversations and we'll continue to do that to
make sure that students aren't being shortchanged here.
Mr. Levin. Well so for states like my home State of
Michigan that are delaying funds to school districts due to
legislative or budgetary processes, I want to know what you
think the Department can do or what we can do to help you. We
want to partner with you to make sure these states expedite
allocating the money to the school districts in a timely
manner. So whatever we can do to partner with you, we want to
do.
Secretary Cardona. Right. We have 35 states that have
already moved forward before the June 7th or on June 7th
deadline. There are 15 states that have legislative processes
that are holding it back, but we're in communication with
those. But that doesn't mean that the distribution of funds
that they currently have getting to the schools should be
delayed at all.
As you know, two-thirds of the allotment was already
distributed, and those funds should be making their way to the
classrooms. And it doesn't mean that the State has not put in
their part. So happy to have more conversation with you. Happy
to have our team followup as needed, to make sure that that's
happening.
Mr. Levin. Well thanks Mr. Secretary. I just need my
colleagues to understand that when we refuse to fund our
education system with the necessary investments and resources,
we fail the children of this country and we deprive our
hopeful, bright and striving kids of the future that they
deserve.
Mr. Secretary, I look forward to working with you to get
the America's College Promise Act done, to get the Jobs Act
done, to you know, relieve student debt and so many other
things. You are a breath of fresh air sir, straight from the
front lines of real public education in this country, and we're
delighted to have you. With that Mr. Chairman, I'm yielding
back with my time expired. Thank you.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Next will be the gentlelady from
Tennessee, Ms. Harshbarger.
Ms. Harshbarger. Thank you, Chairman and Ranking Member,
and thank you Secretary Cardona for being here today. I
appreciate that. I have a couple of yes or no questions and the
first is do you believe the public deserves to know if our
adversaries are funneling money into our research institutes.
That's the first one. Is that a yes or a no?
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Ms. Harshbarger. OK. Well you know, and I know other
colleagues have talked about that. Do you think it's time we
start putting stricter penalties in place for that non-
compliance?
Secretary Cardona. Well it's more than a yes or no response
to that. I think we have to make sure that the systems that we
have set up to monitor this and to work with our universities
is clear and transparent, and we have to make sure that we're
doing our work to--due diligence to buildup those systems,
communicate them.
So without having understanding right now specifically
about which universities or which programs you're talking
about, I would tell you that I am committed to working with you
and others to make sure that these concerns are being
addressed, looked into and we're transparently communicating
what we're doing.
Ms. Harshbarger. All right. I'm going to switch topics and
just ask a yes or no and then we'll go into that. Do you
support a women's right to earn an athletic scholarship sir?
Secretary Cardona. I support all students' rights to do
well in sports and earn scholarships.
Ms. Harshbarger. OK. Well, I take that as a yes, and my
next question is why is a supporter of women's rights to earn a
scholarship did the Department of Education change the
definition of Title IX to allow biological men calling
themselves women to compete for scholarships against biological
women, and why did the Department do so via press release
rather than the traditional rulemaking without the input of
stakeholders?
Secretary Cardona. We emphatically support all students
taking advantage of all opportunities in our schools including
athletics, the arts, and that includes transgender students. So
that's something that we stand firm with, and we recognize that
discrimination against any students is unacceptable, and we
stand strong there.
Ms. Harshbarger. Well you know, I'm looking at a new
national survey that says 74 percent of Americans want to keep
sports single sex, and I have been in the health care field as
a pharmacist for 35 years sir, and science tells us that men
biologically develop muscle mass much quicker than women.
And personally, I believe that you're doing women just such
a real disservice by allowing men to compete and win
scholarships that should be reserved for biological women. And
that's my statement. It's not just me talking; it's 74 percent
of America basically wants single sex sports.
So just wanted to get you on the record for that. Now I
want to yield the balance of my time to Dr. Foxx.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, following up
what I started before when I began, we want students to have
the opportunity to attend an institution that best fits their
needs, both academically and personally. At the same time, we
must recognize the fundamental rights guaranteed in the First
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including freedom of
religion, which extends to universities with sincerely held
religious missions.
Can you confirm today that you will uphold the Title IX
religious exemption as it currently is applied?
Secretary Cardona. Yes, through our OCR Office we will.
Ms. Foxx. Will you commit to continuing to respect
religious missions of universities as well as the right to
faith-based student organizations to organize under their faith
at their college or university?
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Ms. Foxx. OK. The Office of Federal Student Aid was set up
as an apolitical performance-based organization because it is
the operational arm of the Federal student loan program. It is
supposed to manage and oversee operational aspects of an over
one trillion Federal student loan program. The operational arm,
Section 141 of the Higher Ed Act requires the appointment of
the COO of FSA shall be made on the basis of demonstrated
management ability and expertise in information technology,
including experience with financial systems and without regard
to political affiliation or activity.
All the previous COOs have demonstrated experience in
running them. However, the current COO has run in numerous
elections, held elected office. While I appreciate his
expertise at the CFPB, that does not equate to actual
experience in information technology and financial systems.
Our constituents take their repayment obligations
seriously, and they need to know FSA is not playing political
games with their financial livelihoods. Mr. Secretary, Mr.
Cordray himself has made comments about not understanding what
the job really entails.
Given his questionable qualifications, his own comments,
why should the 40 million student loan borrowers and their
families have confidence that Mr. Cordray has the operational
experience necessary to run the student aid programs?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congresswoman. I have
complete confidence in Richard Cordray. He comes from consumer
protection. We need student protection, and we're going to
fight to make sure that all of our students have access to
quality programs and get a good return on investment and go
through processes that are simpler, so that they can take
advantage of higher education like all other students.
Ms. Foxx. And I hope you're going to protect the taxpayers'
dollars also. You're not ever talking about that and neither do
our colleagues. The money that's funding those programs is
coming from hard-working taxpayers. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentlelady from Michigan,
Ms. Stevens.
Ms. Stevens. Well, but we've been a Michigan row here.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair and thank you Mr. Secretary. This
is the first time I've had a chance to really congratulate you
on your leadership post in our Federal Government on behalf of
the United States of America. I just wanted to let you know
we've all been so proud of you and know you've got your hands
full.
And you've given great testimony and, you know, been
answering a lot of questions today, just showcasing your deep
knowledge and passion for American education and what so many
are relying on through our schools. Obviously, the learning
experience that our young people have gotten, particularly this
last year and a half where it's been so challenging and so
different. So you certainly are the right person for the right
time sir, and you know, over the last year, and this is
something we've seen in Michigan and something I'm really
passionate about with our skilled trades and our career and
technical education, our CTE training programs that, you know,
some of the first calls I made when the shutdown began with our
pandemic, you know.
What's going to happen to these programs, and they really
couldn't operate at full clip, you know. I've seen that from
Open University down to Schoolcraft, our Oakland Technical
Campuses, which are a real delight. I want to get you in and
see those.
But can you just shed a little bit more light on what the
Department is doing to help states and local areas address some
of these missed learning opportunities that we've experienced,
particularly for CTE over the last year and some?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much, Representative
Stevens. You know, we need to make sure that when we talk about
building back better, CTE has to really--we really need to
double down on what we're doing there. I look at it, if we
continue the way we've done it, we're going to have a missed
opportunity here, to make sure that our pathways going from
middle school to high school to the 2-year programs are clear,
and they address the workforce needs that exist.
I don't have to tell you, Michigan in my opinion, is the
leader in this. Where we have the workforce needs out there, we
have to connect the dots and make sure that our K-12 system,
our community college system is connected and talking to--
they're talking to one another. There's 1.47 billion in
discretionary requests to support that work.
You know, there's 128 million increase over the Fiscal Year
2021 to do this work. There's a commitment not only with
resources, but with intent for us to evolve our system to do a
better job connecting CTE into our K-12 institutions, toward 2-
year colleges. With the American Family Plans, there's just an
opportunity here for our country to really rebound.
21 percent earning potential increase for students who
graduate community college. We have a lot of work to do and I'm
excited about doing it.
Ms. Stevens. Yes, and I remember when I was working on the
U.S. auto rescue in the Department of Treasury. We spent some
time thinking about our manufacturing communities and really
working with the Department of Education and your voc ed agency
on, you know, helping to meet our skills gap and employment
opportunities.
And then the other subject too I just wanted to get to, Mr.
Secretary with the remainder of my time, is the automatic
suspension of monthly payments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
offered immense relief to Federal student loan borrowers,
allowing them to focus on other essential needs for their
health and safety and that of just their families.
Obviously, the COVID-19 emergency relief flexibilities on
Federal student loans are now set to expire in the next three
short months. What resources or guidance does the Department
plan to offer to borrowers and servicers that are concerned
with the quickly approaching repayment deadline?
Secretary Cardona. Sure, thank you for that and you're
absolutely right, you know. Over one million borrowers whose
loans were paused saved over $5 billion a month, and that
allowed them to help recover from the pandemic. We understand
that as we start thinking about reinstating, we have to have
really clear communication with our borrowers, make sure that
we're empathetic to where they are, make sure that we're
keeping them at the center.
It can't be just turning on the loan again and not being
clear on communication, making sure that our lenders are
working with us to make sure that we're keeping the students at
the center, and recognizing that in many cases other parts of
pauses are done and they're paying rent now and their mortgage
and going back to work and children going back to school.
There's a lot of different moving parts. We have to be
sensitive to the borrowers, and make sure that we're
communicating quickly and frequently.
Ms. Stevens. Great. Thank you so much and Mr. Chair, I
yield back my time.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentlelady from Illinois,
Ms. Miller.
Ms. Miller. Thank you, Chairman, Ranking Member Foxx, and
Secretary Cardona. Your department recently released this
resource for students and families called ``Confronting Anti-
LGBTQ I+ Harassment in Schools.'' This document gives an
example of harassment, which is a teacher telling students that
there are only two genders, boys, and girls. Before we start
penalizing teachers for stating a genetic and biological fact
about genders, can you please clarify for the Committee how
many genders there are?
Secretary Cardona. So I know what you're asking, but I'm
going to get to the root of what you're asking. I feel very
strongly that as educators--
Ms. Miller. I'm not--
Secretary Cardona [continuing]. we are, it's our
responsibility to protect all students.
Ms. Miller. You used as an example of harassment a teacher
who stated there are only two genders, male and female. That's
a genetic and biological fact. That is an example you are,
under your leadership that you're putting out to people. How
many genders are there?
Secretary Cardona. What would you respond to a student who
is non-binary in your classroom?
Ms. Miller. But how many genders are there? Will you please
state--
Secretary Cardona. I won't be answering your question. You
can continue your line of questioning.
Ms. Miller. OK. Well, this resource also says that
preventing a male student from joining a sports team, you see?
Can you pick out the male? The male student from joining a
sports team designated for females constitutes harassment under
Title IX. Mr. Secretary, can you please confirm that the
Department's interpretation of Title IX requires schools to
allow transgender girls, in other words biological males who
claim to identify as female that have significant advantages in
size and strength, to compete on female-only sports teams?
Secretary Cardona. Title IX protects all students against
sex discrimination or gender identity. All students, no
exceptions.
Ms. Miller. So you're saying your interpretation is going
to force girls to play against larger, stronger, biological
males in sports?
Secretary Cardona. I think you're missing the point here,
where students need to feel welcome into our schools, and we
need to create welcoming environments. We recognize that sports
and other extracurricular activities are opportunities for
students to engage and build team-building skills, set goals
for themselves and continue to thrive.
I don't promote any type of discrimination toward any
students, and Title IX reinforces that.
Ms. Miller. But it is promoting it when you use as an
example that it's harassment to not allow biological males to
participate in female sports, which will be the end of women's
athletics.
Secretary Cardona. That is incorrect.
Ms. Miller. There are those of us who remember 7th grade
biology. We're taught that there are only two sexes in the
human species. Does the Department plan to investigate and then
penalize teachers under Title IX who continue to teach the
biological fact that there are two sexes?
Secretary Cardona. This is another example where it
demonstrates a lack of confidence in our educators to be able
to meet our students where they are and welcome them into
school environments that are free of discrimination and
harassment.
Going back to my opening comments when I heard from
students at Harvey Milk School, they want schools that embrace
them and welcome them and provide nurturing environments.
That's what I'm going to stand behind 100 percent. Title IX
reinforces that, and the students that I speak to that are in
school today respect that and appreciate that and they want
that from their educators and their leaders. That's what
they're going to get from me as Secretary of Education.
Ms. Miller. Thank you. Your interpretation and leadership,
preventing a student from using an opposite sex bathroom would
constitute harassment under Title IX. Can you explain how
schools are going to stop male students from claiming they
identify as female just to access the girl's restroom? Do
schools have the ability to challenge a student's professed
gender identity to prevent sexual harassment in schools?
Secretary Cardona. I have complete confidence in the
educators across the country who have been dealing with this.
This isn't new in our schools. I invite you to speak to
educators across the country and visit a school where they've
successfully created a sense of community while accepting
students from transgender students and students who are not
identified as transgender, who are able to learn together and
support one another. We can learn a lot from our students and a
lot from our schools.
Ms. Miller. Mr. Secretary, I'm truly shocked at your
position on these issues. While I have nothing but sympathy for
those who struggle with gender confusion, instead of offering
these kids help your department is planning to punish schools
who attempt to protect girls privacy and support female
athletics.
Our school administrators and teachers have better things
to do then enforce the Biden administration's extreme gender
ideology. I am disappointed that you are advocating for a few
students to feel safe, but not advocating for the majority of
girls who will not feel safe or comfortable under your rules
and guidance.
I have five daughters. They would feel extremely
uncomfortable either on the sports teams or in the locker
rooms, and also you--I want to remind you as a former Member
brought up, 74 percent of Americans agree that you're on the
wrong side of this issue. And also it is true if men are
allowed to compete in women's sports, the sports will be
dominated by men.
Just in 2017, Olympic world and U.S. champion Tori Bowie's
100-meter lifetime best of 10.78 seconds was beaten 15,000
times by men and boys.
Chairman Scott. The gentlelady's time has expired. Can you
finish up?
Ms. Miller. Thank you, and I yield to Dr. Foxx.
Ms. Foxx. Mr. Chairman, I'm well aware that the
gentlelady's time has expired. We're now about even.
Chairman Scott. OK, thank you. The gentlelady's time has
expired. We may, the Ranking Member and I may have to go to the
floor for a bill. I'll be handing the gavel over to another
Member. So I recognize myself for questions at this time.
Mr. Secretary first, just a simple question. Has the
Supreme Court weighed in on the issue of transgender
discrimination? They've had a number of different cases on this
point, is that right? You're on mute, yes.
Secretary Cardona. Sorry sir. Sir, we're aware of our Title
IX rules and we plan to enforce them, and I understand that
this is an issue that's being brought up here. But we stand
firm with our Title IX regulations.
Chairman Scott. And try to comply with the Supreme Court?
Secretary Cardona. We have to, to protect all students.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, the Congress has
appropriated significant funding for K through 12 education
under the American Rescue Plan, and previous COVID-19 relief
bills. Are you putting in a mechanism to oversee how this money
is spent, to make sure that the money's being spent well?
Secretary Cardona. We have plans that are being submitted
and reviewed carefully and responded to by our Office of
Elementary and Secondary Education, and where necessary we're
having conversations and meetings with different states to
ensure that equity and stakeholder engagement are a part of it.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. One of the things that we
frequently hear is that the money that's been appropriated
hasn't been spent, but there is a difference between spending
the money and obligating the money. Obviously if you hire a
teacher today, you're not going to spend that money today.
You're going to spend it over the next at least 1 year if not
more than that, depending on how long the contract is.
Can you say a word about the difference between obligations
and spending?
Secretary Cardona. Sure. Thank you for that and, you know,
this reminds me of the conversations I had when I was
Commissioner of Education with the superintendents. You know,
we're committing to hiring new teachers, but that money will be
drawn down as the contract, you know, as the teacher's
teaching, as the years go on.
Two-thirds of the money has been obligated already, and I
think that's pretty remarkable given that we're 15 months into
this pandemic. So I do think educators are being very careful
with the dollars. It was mentioned earlier to make sure that
we're protecting taxpayer dollars, that's what's happening.
Superintendents are protecting taxpayer dollars, ensuring that
the money goes to where it's needed most.
And I think, you know, the majority of it has been
obligated already. The drawdown will happen as the services are
delivered.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. At one-point last year we
understood that about 100 percent of the money had been
obligated, but obviously not spent. So we need to be careful
about the language we're using, to make sure we're being
accurate.
Under the proposed budget, Title I funding is significantly
being increased, primarily by creating a new Section G under
Title I. Can you explain why Title I funding is being
significantly increased by creating a new Section G, rather
than putting the money into Title IA?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that question and an
opportunity to clarify. Title IA certainly meets needs of
students and it is intended to address some of the inequities
that currently exist, with support for students in greatest
need. The way this was rolled out is because there are--while
we definitely want to make sure that we're also addressing
students whose needs are most impacted, we want to have an
opportunity to examine how post-pandemic those needs might have
shifted a bit and be able to address those.
It's going to complement Title IA, Part 1A, but it provides
an opportunity for us to listen to stakeholders, to see what
post-pandemic needs there are so that the funds could also
address those.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. In the President's
infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, there's 100
billion set aside for school infrastructure evenly split
between grants and bonding authority. The Reopen and Rebuild
America's Schools Act provides $100 billion in grants and 30
billion additional dollars in bonding. Could you please speak
to the importance of grant funding for high poverty school
districts in financing their school construction?
Secretary Cardona. I'd be happy to Congressman. It's best
illustrated in the visit that I had to a school in
Philadelphia, where the building was over 130, 140 years old.
The ventilation system was very old and needed a lot of work,
and that prevented students from coming in at the same rate as
students in other communities, the actual facilities.
Unfortunately, the first thing to go in many budgets, local
budgets is facilities management or upkeep or upgrades, and the
pandemic brought that to bear. Now we know that in many cases
schools in urban districts, the schools haven't been kept up or
modernized in many years.
So the funding in the proposals are critical to make sure
that we level the playing field and that all students can go
into schools that are optimal for learning and for success.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. My time has expired. Dr. Foxx,
did you want to be recognized at this point?
Ms. Foxx. Yes sir.
Chairman Scott. The gentlelady from North Carolina, the
distinguished Ranking Member Dr. Foxx is recognized for five
minutes.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Cardona, I
want to say I think you can be a fabulous role model in the job
that you're in, and I note with great interest that you smile
greatly when you talk about CTE and other programs like CTE and
helping students gain careers. So I appreciate that very much,
and I think you do know a lot about that and can be very, very
positive in that role. But I do have some other questions
related to particularly borrowers and student loan issues.
In Spring 2020, Congress and the Department took active--
acted quickly to provide relief to student borrowers. These
relief measures have been subsequently extended and expanded on
several occasions. One of these expansions occurred on March
2021 when you announced a process for ``special mandatory
assignment'' for newly defaulted FFEL borrowers, whose loans
are managed by guarantee agencies.
It's my understanding this will impact roughly 200,000
borrowers. Why is the Department initiating this process?
Secretary Cardona. Yes, thank you. We recognize that
borrowers need support, and we want to make sure that we're
providing it to all borrowers who we can provide support to and
relief, so they can get back on their feet before repaying.
Ms. Foxx. But do you realize that this is going to have a
negative impact on these borrowers, as they will still have a
default on their credit report from the lenders? How does it
plan to address that?
Secretary Cardona. You know, we want to make sure that
we're addressing the needs of our borrowers, and we're
recognizing the challenges that are provided. We want to work
with them to hear the negative impact they're having.
I can assure you I want to hear your perspective on this
and work with you, to make sure that we can help our borrowers
when they leave and make sure that our FSA and our Department
is supporting our borrowers and addressing whatever issues they
have, problem-solving with them and with you to give them the
best experience.
Ms. Foxx. Well according to the Higher Ed Act, in order to
initiate the ``mandatory assignment process,'' the Secretary
must determine it is in the ``Federal fiscal interest.'' So how
much does the Department estimate this will cost versus leaving
the borrowers with guarantee agencies? Remember those hard-
working taxpayers again.
Secretary Cardona. Always, Representative Foxx. I think
it's really important that we communicate that we're balancing
protecting our borrowers and making sure we're protecting
taxpayer dollars as well. We're looking at all available
options, and we want to make sure that in this process, we're
listening to our borrowers but also to the challenges that come
forward that you're bringing up.
Ms. Foxx. Well we'll hold you to your commitment to work
with us on this issue. Mr. Secretary, the value of a college
degree is that it can create more employment opportunities,
lead to higher earning, and produce an overall positive return
on investment following graduation.
While we all agree that the top priority for education
institutions should be to prepare students for post-college
success, far too many institutions have been inadequate in
doing so and have faced little or no repercussions.
In fact, while just one in four community college students
graduates in 4 years, your department has proposed giving these
institutions hundreds of billions of dollars without any
assurances to taxpayers that such schools will improve student
outcomes, all the while punishing schools graduating twice as
many of their students simply because they're classified as
for-profits or taxpaying institutions.
Instead of penalizing schools based on their tax status, I
think it's time we judge the quality of an institution by the
ability to serve its students. Can you commit to holding all
institutions accountable for poor student outcomes, not just
those that pay taxes to the Federal Government?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative Foxx. Yes,
increased commitment--you have an increased commitment. We're
going to be monitoring the return on investment for all. But I
have to comment, community colleges also provide a very wide
net for people that probably would not consider college, but
those community colleges are a great place for them to start.
We have to do better with graduation rates, but I also want
to applaud their efforts to bring students in that wouldn't
ever be considered in some other institutions.
Ms. Foxx. I know. I spent 7 years as the president of one.
So to followup on our concerns about the management of FSA and
the apparent disconnect between yourself and COO Cordray on the
decisions being made regarding Federal student aid. These
concerns are exacerbated by the fact that it appears a sitting
U.S. Senator has been heavily involved in the decisionmaking
process at both FSA and the Department.
Just this week, it was reported that Senator Elizabeth
Warren is holding up the nomination of James Kvaal for
Undersecretary of Education until changes are made to FSA's
administration of student loans. Why is Senator Warren running
higher education policy via proxy staff?
Secretary Cardona. So I can tell you I look forward to
having James Kvaal join the team. Really, we need to get to
work. We need to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I don't
know that anyone else is working through a proxy. I can tell
you that we're eager to have a full team, so we can do what we
were hired to do, which is serve our students both in K-12 and
higher education.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Chairman Scott. Thank you. The gentlelady's time has
expired. At this time, I'm going to hand the gavel over to the
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands, Mr. Sablan, Mr.
Sablan, and the next person to be recognized would be Ms. Leger
Fernandez. Mr. Sablan.
Mr. Sablan. Yes, thank you. Thank you, Chairman Scott. Next
up the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Leger Fernandez. You
have five minutes please.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you so very much and thank you
Secretary Cardona for appearing and answering the many
questions you have with such respect and knowledge. I
appreciate your demeanor, as well as your passion for
education. So you know, I'm from New Mexico and the Native
American populations across this country were among the most
academically vulnerable and under-resourced groups before the
pandemic.
But according to the American Indian Education Foundation,
the rate of high school graduation for American Indian students
is 46 percent compared to the national average of 89 percent.
As you know, the negative impacts of COVID-19 have only widened
pre-existing disparities.
Could you explain and discuss what steps the Department is
taking to support Native American students?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much for that question,
and you know we've talked a lot about making sure that we're
targeting students that require additional support, and that
were negatively impacted by the pandemic. I appreciate this
opportunity to speak to that.
I recently met with Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, and
we talked about our passion and our commitment to work together
to model what we want to see across our country with regard to
Indian education and Departments of Education. We have an
opportunity here to really lift up our Indian education and our
students.
So in addition to the funds to support recovering from the
pandemic, you're going to see a renewed interest in making sure
that we're lifting up good examples of great education for
Indian American students and making sure that we're addressing
and listening to them to see what their needs are.
I think it's critically important that we don't come in
saying this is what you need. They don't need that. What they
need is to be partners at the table to tell us what they're
experiencing and how we can best support them. And I look
forward to that partnership starting very soon and getting out
there and visiting Indian country to listen directly to the
students and to the families.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you very much Secretary Cardona.
We have some very good examples in New Mexico. The Santa Fe
Indian School, which is a BIA tribally run school but also the
Native American community academy knockoff (phonetic), which do
amazing jobs and send their students to Harvard and Yale and
Stanford and the University of New Mexico.
I want to touch a bit on an issue that just came up before
I was able to get on the hearing with regards to, you know, a
conversation I was having with the director of our major cancer
center in UNM.
We've been talking about the fact that we have a great need
for public health professionals, and that as we come out of the
pandemic and look at the need to address the disparities in
health outcomes, it also means that we are going to need more
students who graduate and come out with a public health
perspective.
We're going to need more doctors; we're going to need more
nurses. Some of that is going to be available as we fund the
community colleges that we were just talking about, and as we
provide more funds to minority-serving institutions. 23 of our
29 institutions in New Mexico are minority-serving, but I think
having an emphasis on developing more of those medical
professionals.
What is the Department of Education doing with regards to
trying to anticipate that public health need?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that question. You know I
think all educators and educational leaders over the last year
have become quasi-epidemiologists or having--had to learn a lot
more about epidemiology than we ever thought we would have to.
But it really paints the picture of where we need to go as a
country, and if our educational system doesn't evolve with
that, we're going to miss an opportunity to give our students
success, an opportunity for success in careers.
So what I'd like to see is with the 100 million that's
going toward CTE development, making sure that we have career
pathways in our K-12 systems that connect to our community
colleges, that connect to our 4-year programs, that connect to
our workforce. Giving students an opportunity to get into
public health, to get into those fields that we know we need
moving forward, so that we're prepared in the medical field, in
the health field to address whatever comes our way.
We really need to be predictive and work with our colleges
and work with our workforce partners and work with our industry
to see what's coming and be prepared before it's here, to get
our students ready for those careers. I look forward to that
evolution in our schools. It's something that when I first came
on board, I mentioned we need to evolve quicker in our high
schools and in our colleges, and we need to make a through line
a little bit more explicit.
Unfortunately, there's a gap that was created between our
high schools and our colleges, and we have to work hard to make
sure that we get rid of that, so that our students have a clear
through line and they look at college as an option earlier.
6th-7th grade they start thinking about how they're going to go
on to, whether it's a 2-year program or a 4-year program. We
need to do a better job with them.
Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you very much, and I did also
want to discuss issues around broadband access, but I see my
time has expired, and I do thank you for your consideration of
our questions.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much, and the broadband
issue is something that we need to put in our rearview mirror.
It's time to close the digital divide. The infrastructure plan
can help with that. I agree with you on that, thank you.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now let me recognize
the gentleman from Utah, Mr. Owens. You have five minutes sir.
Mr. Owens. Thank you, thank you very much. First of all,
Mr. Secretary thank you. My parents, both my parents were also
educators, and they love the profession, and I can tell as I'm
listening to you that you have that commitment also. I
appreciate that. This is what our kids need.
I would like, before I ask a couple of questions, to just
kind of a note. I'm a father of five girls. I played in the NFL
for 10 years, and I was just taught good old common sense, and
that is girl athletes cannot compete against boy athletes. It
goes back to the same thing of, you know, as much as I want to
change the laws because we think they might be fair, there's
laws of gravity, God's laws of gravity that you just can't
change because we don't, we think it's not fair.
So I just want to make that point, because I think it's
very unfair for young ladies to not have the hope and dreams of
succeeding because they're competing against men, OK, and boys.
I've spoken to many parents over the past year that are
frustrated, and feel somewhat hopeless and helpless, felt that
way due to lack of resources to send their children to another
school, to resume in-person learning. In 2017 75 percent of the
black boys in the State of California could not pass standard
reading and writing tests. In 2019, only 14 percent of the
black high school students in Baltimore were proficient in
language arts and only three, and there were three schools that
had zero percent proficiency in math.
Whenever the topic comes up, this is--I've experienced this
over the last 40 or 50 years, whenever the topic comes up with
children failing children having a choice, it seems to shift to
the impact of a failing school if the children left. I think
you would agree and I'm hoping you agree that it is about the
child, not about the school. Am I correct on that? I'm sorry.
Oh boy. Can you hear me?
Secretary Cardona. Yes. No, yes.
Mr. Owens. OK, OK, all right. I'm glad it wasn't me.
Thanks, because I'm lost with technology. And so Mr. Secretary,
would you commit to supporting expansion of school choice for
minority children across our country? This is one of the areas
that I have a very passion for, because I've watched my
community that was really into education lose it the last 6
years because poor children do not have a choice like many
other children to leave failing schools.
Secretary Cardona. You know, I think the President made it
very clear. We're not using Federal dollars to support voucher
programs. But what I will say, and I appreciate your
perspective. I appreciate the data you showed. That's alarming.
That's concerning for any student that's left in that school.
So what we need to do is make sure we're investing
appropriately in education, which this plan does, to make sure
that every school provides the programming and support that all
students need.
I agree that those data are unacceptable. I agree that we
need to double down. But you know, when we have students
leaving a school because it's underperforming and we're not
investing the resources in that, the students that are left in
the school need support as well. So I'm a really big believer--
Mr. Owens. OK. Can I just--can I just continue real
quickly. I've heard that for years, and the bottom line is
because of that attitude, 75 percent of the black boys in the
State of California are stuck and they do not learn, and they
don't have the hopes and dreams that you and I have. I would
think, I would hope that if your children were in those
schools, that your attitude would be, or the suggestion would
be how do we change that?
Don't just leave those kids there to languish because
schools are not, are not succeeding. That's my frustration.
I've seen it for decades, and by the way, the voucher system
was working in D.C. years ago. 93 percent of the kids coming
through those systems with vouchers were succeeding in going to
college.
That was ended when the Obama administration came on board,
and that went down back to 50, 40 to 50 percent that were
succeeding. So the voucher program works. What would be the
solution if you're not going to use a system to support getting
kids to a better school? How do you support, how do you plan on
making that happen other than just knowing that it's a problem?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative Owens and
again, I appreciate your passion and I respect where you're
coming from. You want better and I get that. So do I. You know
a recent IES study found that 20 percent of the students
stopped using their voucher after a year and 22 percent didn't
even use them at all. So my suggestion'and listen this is me
being a teacher--
Mr. Owens. OK, 1 second, 1 second. Can I ask another
question? Are you saying that the kids, the parents who had put
in for vouchers were not using them? Because right now from
where I stand, they're lining up by the thousands to get
vouchers, because they love their kids as much as we love our
kids. So are you saying that they're not going, they're not
using the vouchers when they have an opportunity to go to a
better school?
Secretary Cardona. Yes. Happy to have my staff followup on
those data points. 20 percent stopped using the voucher after a
year. 22 percent didn't use them at all an IES study found.
We'll get that over to you.
Secretary Cardona. I will, yes. But what I was saying
earlier is, you know, I went to a school that currently now is
like 80 percent poverty rate. But we can give those students
and those schools the tools that they need to be successful.
Students should be able to be educated in their neighborhood
school and be successful.
Mr. Owens. Thank you, thank you. OK, I'm running out of
time. I just want to say this. This has been going on too long,
and the answers are not working. We have too many of our kids
who have never, ever had the opportunity to read and write, to
have the conversation we're having now because they never learn
how to think.
So please address this. It is a major issue. This is the
next civil rights. We need to make sure our kids are thinking,
particularly black kids who are told at the same time this
country doesn't work for them. It will not work if they're not
educated. So thank you so much. I appreciate it.
(Simultaneous speaking.)
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much. Nice to talk to
you.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Owens. I would now like to
recognize Ms. Omar from Minnesota for five minutes please. Ms.
Omar.
Ms. Omar. Thank you, Chairman and thank you Mr. Secretary
for joining us today. It is really exciting to have the
opportunity to hear from you the Department's priorities and
some of the highlights the things that you all have been up to.
I want to start off by acknowledging the steps the
Department has taken on improving the existing debt
cancellation programs targeted at certain populations of
borrowers, such as the severely disabled, defrauded by their
colleges and public service workers. This is a really good
start to a very large problem that is holding millions,
millions back from pursuing their dreams of home ownership,
opening a business, and starting a family.
The Federal Reserve estimates that in the third quarter of
2020, Americans owed more than $1.7 trillion in student debt.
That is 45 million people shackled by student debt. While three
COVID relief bills have provided some relief to struggling
borrowers, the pandemic has exacerbated the needs of millions
who were having trouble before the pandemic.
With millions out of jobs on the verge of eviction, dealing
with the losses brought by the pandemic, the last thing people
should be worried about is their student loan debt. In my home
State of Minnesota, there are over 750,000 student borrowers
with each owing an average of 35,000.
We are in a critical moment, where every decision and every
move we make can impact the lives of generations to come. We
need to take bold action to cancel student debt and give
families across the country the opportunity to pursue their
dreams of home ownership, opening a business and starting a
family. We need to invest in the future of the American people.
It can, if we can afford trillions of dollars in tax cuts
to corporations, we can certainly afford to cancel all student
debt. When Senator Bernie Sanders and myself first proposed the
idea of canceling all student debt, we were called radicals.
Today it is mainstream position of the Democratic Party, and
millions of Americans across the U.S.
Democrats and other proponents of canceling the student
debt argue that the President has the authority to cancel
student debt under the Higher Education Act of 1965. The truth
is the President has already exercised that authority by
pausing the student loan payments during the coronavirus
pandemic and several lawyers and legal scholars have written
analyses in support of that view.
So my question is what is stopping the administration from
taking this extra step that we've all been calling for, and
carrying out a cancellation of the student debt?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Representative Omar for your
passion for the borrowers and the students and promoting the
loan relief for borrowers. I recognize the challenge it is for
students who are in debt, who are making decisions and have
this debt hanging over them. I can assure you that I share your
concern, to make sure that all students have an opportunity to
be successful.
You know, buying a home and as you said starting a family
or opening up a business are things that shouldn't be
permanently paused because of significant and unwieldy debt.
With that said, we are having the White House and DOJ and our
legal team discussing that, and we're going to continue to do
that. But I have to really--
Ms. Omar. Mr. Secretary, I know that there was a memo that
was supposed to be done by your Department and DOJ. What is the
status of that memo?
Secretary Cardona. Sure. So those communications, the DOJ
and our attorneys are discussing that before anything goes out.
So it hasn't been--there's nothing public yet. You would have
information if it were. But they are having those
conversations.
But what I wanted to share too is I think it's equally as
important that we stop the bleeding, that in 5 years from now
we're not in the same position. So we want to make sure that
we're really protecting our students and our borrowers with the
public service loan forgiveness, with the borrower defense and
the total and permanent disability discharges that we can do
now, that we know we can do, and we haven't been sitting idle.
Over $2 billion in relief has been provided in the last
several months, because we recognize that where we can, we will
provide support to students. We're going to continue to have
these conversations. I appreciate your passion and support of
these students.
Ms. Omar. I appreciate that Secretary. I look forward to
seeing that memo released. It is important that we recognize
incremental changes are--. But this issue is one that is just
causing lots of damage to the American public, and it is
important for us to take the critical step of canceling student
debt. With that, I yield back Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Omar. I now recognize
Mr. Cawthorn for five minutes.
Mr. Cawthorn. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The
Department of Education represents one of the most significant
examples of government overreach in modern America I believe.
For the past year, this bureaucratic nightmare agency spawned
from the big government has muzzled our children, shuttered our
schools, and shoved socialism into the minds of young
Americans. As a representative government, we must seek to
protect the America our founders envisioned and fought for.
Nothing is more critical than protecting the hearts and minds
of young children who are just now beginning to learn about our
great nation. I denounce the efforts of the DoE to keep our
children out of classrooms. I denounce the efforts made to
indoctrinate them to hate this country using Critical Race
Theory, and I stand firmly with the parents of young Americans
everywhere.
Mr. Secretary, our Committee has heard from parents whose
children's lives are devastated by their schools refusing to
reopen, even when the science clearly supported the safe
reopening of schools and even after the science also proved
there was a potential significant harm of keeping kids out of
schools and that had become clear.
In response to those parents, Democrats have laughingly
argued that these parents are wrong, and that the teacher
unions' obstinance on reopening was necessary to protect
students' well-being. Mr. Secretary, do you agree with the
parents or the teachers' unions?
Secretary Cardona. So thank you for the question. My track
record shows that I've been able to work with parents and
teachers, to make sure schools open safely and quickly. We were
able to do that in Connecticut when I was Commissioner of
Education, and I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive.
As a matter of fact, many teachers are parents.
Mr. Cawthorn. Well that's good to know, sir. Well Mr.
Secretary, the stated purpose of the Department of Education is
at its core to provide a high-quality education to America's
youth; correct?
Secretary Cardona. Correct.
Mr. Cawthorn. That's good to know, and you firmly believe
that every effort should be made to provide the highest quality
education for our youth?
Secretary Cardona. Yes.
Mr. Cawthorn. Good sir, good. I'm glad to know that. Mr.
Secretary, I'm from North Carolina. Have you ever been to
Hendersonville?
Secretary Cardona. I've been to North Carolina, but not to
that community.
Mr. Cawthorn. OK sir, so I assume based on that, you have
never been to Hendersonville High?
Secretary Cardona. Correct.
Mr. Cawthorn. Good to know. Mr. Secretary, you've never
spoken with Hendersonville High School's history teachers;
correct?
Secretary Cardona. No.
Mr. Cawthorn. Their English teachers?
Secretary Cardona. I'm very interested in talking about how
this budget's going to help students across the country.
Mr. Cawthorn. I'm sorry Mr. Secretary.
Secretary Cardona. I know it's your five minutes, but this
is an opportunity for me to promote the President's plan.
Mr. Cawthorn. Mr. Secretary, I'm going to claim back my
time for one moment sir. So you've never visited Haywood County
Community College, have you?
Secretary Cardona. No, I have not.
Mr. Cawthorn. Mr. Secretary, what are the top three
challenges that you believe the Haywood Community College
system faces?
Secretary Cardona. As I said, I haven't spoken to the folks
that are at the community college, but I can tell you if you
give me an opportunity to share what I think the priorities are
for the country, which might overlap with that college.
Mr. Cawthorn. Well that's good to know, but I understand
that you don't know because you've never been. I mean how could
you? You don't know because you're a massive Federal agency
that simply cannot spend time learning about the specifics of
every single education institution in this entire country.
Mr. Secretary, do you know who does know all these ins and
outs and the specifics? The local government leaders, the
teachers in Haywood County. Wouldn't you say that they have a
stronger firsthand knowledge of problems being faced by that
community than you do?
Secretary Cardona. I would say that that's why we support
local and State decisionmaking, yes.
Mr. Cawthorn. Mr. Secretary, I'm sorry sir. But frankly I
fail to see how the Department of Education provides any
services asides from getting in the way of local teachers,
their parents and officials who understand their communities at
a much more foundational level than the Federal Government ever
could.
I genuinely believe that we should abolish the Federal
Department of Education. We should send all the education
resources back to the states and to the parents. Sir, I just--I
don't see a point for your organization to exist, and with that
I yield back.
Mr. Sablan. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Cawthorn. My goodness, some
Members don't know even know where I'm from. I've been here 13
years. I now recognize Ms. Manning for five minutes. Thank you.
Ms. Manning. Thank you so much Mr. Chairman, and thank you
Mr. Secretary for your patience, for your dedication, for being
here with us today and for presenting a budget that addresses
so many other needs in my district, in Hendersonville, North
Carolina, all across the country.
Certainly, we need programs that address the learning loss
our students have experienced, to help our colleges and
community colleges address the losses they've experienced over
the past year, to help students with disabilities for whom the
past year has been particularly difficult. We need more nurses
and counselors in schools to help students in normal times and
even more so as our kids try to recover from the pandemic.
I'm particularly happy that the budget has additional funds
for HBCUs. I am proud to have three in my district, and that
the budget increases Pell grants and starts to address the
enormous problem of student loan debt. Everything you're doing
to start addressing disparities in education is necessary and
is so appreciated.
So let me turn to a challenge that some of our universities
and colleges are having, and that is the loss of international
students. Even before the pandemic, the Trump administration's
rhetoric and policies had a chilling effect on international
student enrollment at American universities. Their policies
during the pandemic made it extremely difficult for
international students to continue their studies in the U.S.
Can you tell me what the Department of Education is doing
in conjunction with the State Department, to make sure
international students can start or continue their studies in
the U.S. this fall?
Secretary Cardona. This is an issue that is important to
us, and we want to make sure that, you know, as was said
before, America is open. We need to be good partners. We need
to create welcoming environments for learning and make sure
that our institutions, the concerns that were shared with our
agency by the institutions are looked into carefully as we
again open up our schools and make sure that they're open
places.
They're known across the world. So we have to make sure we
build those bridges again and get back to how it was and even
better. I think we have an opportunity to really advance it
even further. I look forward to working with you, with our
higher education institutions who have communicated this
concern. I hear them. I look forward to working with them and
we're going to build back better.
Ms. Manning. Thank you, and I would just like to mention
for those who are worried about taxpayer dollars, those
international students pay full tuition, so we need them here
in this country.
Let me move to a different topic. I recently sent you a
letter expressing my concerns about a fundamental shift in the
mission and control of St. Andrews University in North
Carolina. St. Andrews Presbyterian College has a long legacy of
providing high quality education.
But alumni who live in my district have expressed fear that
its non-profit legacy is currently threatened by a for-profit
college operator who has donated an enormous amount of money to
the school and now is paid to be a consultant at St. Andrews.
There appears to be a well-founded fear that the influence of
this donor consultant has dramatically changed the quality of
the education and the mission of St. Andrews.
We need the Department to take steps to protect students
and taxpayers when for-profit universities convert to non-
profits or exert control over non-profits by conversion or
other means. So can you tell me what steps the Department can
take to ensure that St. Andrews and other institutions continue
to operate as bona fide non-profits?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much. For-profit colleges
shouldn't be allowed to masquerade as non-profit institutions
if they're not complying with Federal laws. I look forward to
hearing more about this issue and having my team reach out to
you to communicate with you what steps we're going to take in
examining this issue and communicating whatever we find.
Ms. Manning. Thanks so much. Mr. Secretary with my
remaining time, I just want to note how pleased I am that the
Department of Education is represented on the Biden-Harris
COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.
Health inequities certainly predate the COVID-19 pandemic,
and as the task force proceeds with its work, I hope you'll
consider ways in which you can help address the issue of
inequities through diversity and educational opportunities in
medical schools, nursing programs and residency programs. I'd
appreciate any update you may be able to provide on the work of
the Task Force in this regard.
Secretary Cardona. I can tell you that we need to work
smarter together, and the Biden-Harris administration
understands. I think we were selected because we recognize that
we cannot work in silos, that we have to work together.
This pandemic is giving us an opportunity to integrate our
teams and work in an inter-agency fashion, because we serve the
same people. So this Task Force is an example of that. I look
forward to more information coming out because our students and
families are waiting, and we must deliver. Thank you.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you.
Ms. Manning. Thanks so much. We're lucky to have you and I
yield back.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Manning. The gentlelady's time
has expired. Another always very patient lady, the gentlelady
from California, Mrs. Steel. You have five minutes please.
Ms. Steel. Thank you very much Chairman Scott and Ranking
Member Dr. Foxx for hosting this hearing, and thank you
Secretary Cardona, joining us today and my God you are really
patient. So thank you.
Previously, your department ended an investigation into
whether Yale University illegal discriminated against Asian
American applicants. It is wrong for universities to continue
the narrative that Asian American lack social skills and
desirable personalities. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked
President Biden to get his views on whether the justices should
hear a challenge to Harvard University's consideration of race
in undergraduate student admissions.
So Secretary Cardona, all students should have equal
opportunity to succeed their own merit and shutting the door to
applicants based on race is wrong. Do you believe universities
who hold Asian American applicants to an unfair standard than
students of other races and use a quota to cap the number of
admitted Asian American students?
Secretary Cardona. I believe students should have an
opportunity to apply and get into colleges based on their own
merit.
Ms. Steel. So you're just--so you are totally agree with me
that you know what students has to just have a merit to get
into the universities?
Secretary Cardona. I don't believe colleges should be
discriminatory against students, correct.
Ms. Steel. Thank you. So do you think it is acceptable to
give Federal funding to universities that apply personal
ratings or grade personality traits to applicants? Should the
Federal Government support processes that allows admission
officers to objectively grade personality and character traits
such as likeability, integrity, helpfulness, courage, and
kindness?
Secretary Cardona. So I understand--I'm not as familiar as
you are with the details of that concern. But I do look forward
to hearing more from you and having conversations about that,
to examine the situation further with.
Ms. Steel. OK. You know, what I'll do is I'm going to
submit a couple of these articles that, you know what, I'm
going to send to you that you know what they are doing in the
universities.
Secretary Cardona. I appreciate that, thank you.
Ms. Steel. Thank you. The third question is I understand if
a college would block an applicant who was a convicted felon.
But what do I tell my Asian constituents in my community that
American college and universities will grade them based on a
likeability score? Does that sound fair to you?
Secretary Cardona. I recognize the concerns you're
expressing and again, I want to make sure I understand them
fully. I appreciate you bringing them up, especially now when
we've been as a country I think rallying against, you know, any
discrimination toward Asian students.
So I'm very interested in this issue. I share your concern,
and I look forward to having more conversation with you about
this.
Ms. Steel. I really appreciate that. Thank you very much.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Ms. Steel. And thank you. I yield the balance to my time to
actually Congressman Owens.
Mr. Sablan. Hold on. Mrs. Steel, are you submitting
something for the record or are you directly sending those
materials to the Secretary?
Ms. Steel. Mr. Chairman, I can do both. I can--
[inaudible]--to you and then I can directly to Secretary
Cardona too.
Mr. Sablan. All right. So without objection, Mrs. Steel's
documents are submitted for the record. Thank you.
Ms. Steel. Thank you.
Mr. Owens. Thank you. Thank you, Representative Steel, I
appreciate it. I'm just going to make a real quick statement. I
hope I have time to ask a question. But Mr. Secretary, I grew
up in Tallahassee, Florida, days in the 60's, days of KKK/Jim
Crow and segregation. So I know what old school racism, Jim
Crow racism looks like.
Today in California, we saw a creation of a pathway to
equitable math instruction. it's a CRT tool kit that promotes
the concept of white supremacy, manifests itself through the
focus on finding the right answers.
An example of that is 2 + 2 = 4, asking for homework is
racist. 2 + 2 = 4 by the way is racist. Asking for homework is
racist. NFL just said recently that it was admitted to a policy
called race norming, which they paid black athletes less for
brain injuries than white athletes because the algorithms said
that we were less intelligent.
These are things, judging others on their skin color is
racist, and to the question just asked a few minutes ago by Ms.
Steel, whether it's discrimination of whites, blacks, or
Asians, will you commit your office to aggressively investigate
all forms of racial discrimination instructional practices
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act?
Mr. Sablan. Well Mr. Secretary, the gentleman's time has
expired. Could you make just a quick response please? We all
need to go somewhere.
Secretary Cardona. Yes. Well you know that question was a
pretty extensive question that I don't want to shortchange. I'd
be happy to submit written, written. But I can tell you right
now, you know, as we say local control, we need to allow local
control. But our Office of Civil Rights would take any claims
very seriously.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you.
Mr. Owens. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Mr. Sablan. The gentleman's time has expired. Mr. Mrvan,
you have five minutes sir.
Mr. Mrvan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under Title IX of the
Education Amendments Act of 1972, schools have a responsibility
to provide equal access to education for all students. The law
specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex,
including sexual harassment and violence.
As a part of Title IX's requirements, schools receiving
Federal funding must take certain steps to address sexual
misconduct that may inhibit students' safety or access to
education. However, the U.S. Department of Education finalized
a Title IX rule in 2020 which would create a system where
survivors of sexual misconduct will be less likely to get
justice by instituting a higher burden of proof for survivors
and weaken accountability for schools that fail to prioritize
student safety by creating a system where schools can more
easily avoid addressing instances of sexual misconduct.
Secretary Cardona, given the disastrous effects of this
rule, which is--which was finalized under the previous
administration, how are you in the current administration
working to ensure better protections for the Title IX and
survivors of sexual misconduct?
Secretary Cardona. Thank very much. We're exploring a new
rulemaking process and by doing that, what we've done is we've
opened up the public hearing portion of it. I believe it was
last week or the week before.
We have thousands and thousands of folks who provided
testimony and input on this. We want to make sure we're
balanced, but we're protecting survivors in the process as
well, and not creating an environment where they may feel a
sense of additional harassment if they come forward.
Mr. Mrvan. Thank you very much, and with that I yield back
my time.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Mr. Sablan. Wow. Thank you, Mr. Mrvan. I appreciate it. I
now recognize Mr. Comer, the gentleman from Kentucky popped up
again. Sir, you have five minutes please.
Mr. Comer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, I'm glad
to see that all school districts in Kentucky now have the
option of every day, in-person learning. However, it was a long
time coming. One school district I represent in Kentucky was
able to quickly adapt and were ready to offer in-person classes
in the fall semester of 2020.
They knew they were doing what was best for their students
and had received assurance from the State that any reopening
practices were a local decision. Then our Governor and then
interim Commissioner, Education Commissioner, publicly shamed
and made thinly veiled threats of punishment to the school
district and their leadership, citing the strict CDC guidance.
Mr. Secretary, you have previously stated that ``In-person
learning offers young people the best opportunity.'' Do you
still agree with that statement?
Secretary Cardona. I do, yes.
Mr. Comer. Mr. Secretary, I'm concerned the teachers'
unions leadership was able to slow-walk the CDC guidance and
ensure our schools remained closed, even when the transmission
rates between students and faculty were very low. So Mr.
Secretary, did you receive any indication that any political
union influence, release, or content of any published Federal
guidance on school reopening?
Secretary Cardona. Can you repeat that? Did I receive any
what?
Mr. Comer. Did you receive any indication that any
political union influenced the release or content of any
published Federal guidance on school reopening?
Secretary Cardona. No, no, and if I could comment a little
bit further if you'd allow me that moment, I do believe
students learn best in the classroom. I really do, and you know
as a Commissioner of Education, when we had to close schools
down, we had to weigh the risks of being out of school and the
risks of being in school.
But we followed the CDC guidance even when it was
difficult. We accelerated their return based on good use of
mitigation strategies. And I really feel that that was a
difficult balance that leaders have had to face across the
country. Not easy to do and thankfully now, 96 percent of our
students K-8 have an opportunity to be in school, and we expect
100 percent in the fall sir.
Mr. Comer. Well that's great. So are you committed to
protecting local school districts' freedoms to make decisions
about in-person education?
Secretary Cardona. I definitely do, but I also understand
that in Connecticut, the Governor had the ability to make sure
that the transmission spread was slowed down or stopped based
on some of the actions that he had to make. I know throughout
the country, when decisions are being made, they're being made
in conjunction with the health department and they're usually
for the best interest of the community.
Mr. Comer. Well hopefully we can respect local
decisionmaking in the future. Mr. Secretary, I have a question
related to Critical Race Theory. I have a feeling you're going
to get a lot of these--you probably already had a lot of these
today. I've been presiding over the House Oversight Committee,
so I'm just now jumping on.
But since this issue has blown up over the last few months,
conservatives have pointed out some of the extremism embedded
in Critical Race Theory. I'm sure you don't agree with all of
our arguments about that, but is there anything espoused under
the umbrella of Critical Race Theory that you think goes too
far, is too extreme, or that you don't fully subscribe to?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for the question and the
manner in which you're asking it, to be honest with you. I'll
reiterate what I said to colleagues before. My personal opinion
on this is really secondary to my role as Secretary of
Education around curriculum, which is very limited. We don't
promote curriculum; we don't mandate it. Local control over
curriculum and State control over curriculum is where that
conversation needs to happen.
With that said, I've been an educator my whole life. I do
believe that students learn best when they are exposed to
curriculum that show different cultures and how we can come
together as one country under one flag. I believe that's
possible, and I have confidence that the educators across the
country know how to do it, can do it, and will do it if given
the ability to do so. I believe it's become politicized, sir.
Mr. Comer. Well, it's very politicized right now and it's
an issue that's not going to go away. I hope that the
administration will take a strong position, because in my
office, we're getting lots of calls every day with parents
concerned, concerned that for a lot of reasons.
But my personal opinion is that we obviously have a divided
nation. We need to focus on uniting people, not dividing
people. I believe Critical Race Theory, I don't believe any
part of it, any of the premises. But at the very least I am
confident that it divides at a time when we need to unite. So
hopefully that position will be taken by the Biden
administration and my time is expired. Mr. Chairman, I yield
back.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Comer. I now
recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Bowman. Five minutes
please.
Mr. Bowman. Thank you so much Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary,
it's good to see you again. Thank you again for coming to hang
out with us in the boogey-down Bronx. Really appreciated it. So
I have a question about our Title I schools. I'm very concerned
about our Title I schools, because as you know they are
located, often located in historically underserved communities.
And as we come out of the pandemic and the trauma of the
pandemic dealing with issues of learning loss, the social and
emotional needs that our students are going to have when they
come back, the psychological needs, you know. So often our
schools, particularly our Title I schools, are asked to solve
all of society's problems in the school building.
As we know, the schools can't do it alone. With the
American Rescue Plan, it provides an opportunity. It provides
the resources and an opportunity not only for schools to be,
you know, fully staffed to do things like lower class size and
provide individualized instruction and hire counselors and
social workers. But schools are still going to have to work
with outside agencies and social services to meet the needs of
kids and families.
So you know, I've been thinking a lot about inter-agency
collaboration and what that looks like as we come out of the
pandemic and open safely. Can you speak to what that might look
like from your perspective, and how the American Rescue Plan
can support schools in doing more around inter-agency
collaboration?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, Congressman Bowman.
Absolutely right. We have to not only use the resources to put
in strategies for students, but we have to do better as leaders
to work collaboratively across agency lines, establish an
inter-agency mentality where if I work with Marcia Fudge in
Housing and I work with Xavier Becera in Health and education,
how do we intersect?
How do we think about community schools with the funds here
that's so prominent in the plan to increase community schools?
How do we make it so that we have schools that are meeting the
needs of students, regardless of if their needs are, you know,
hunger needs, health needs? You know it's hard to learn if your
teeth hurt, right?
So how do we take that mentality, remove the silos between
agencies, model it at the Federal Government, make sure that
we're using our money smarter and not duplicating things when
we can work together, and then model that for states and
communities so that we could see that in our schools?
Mr. Bowman. No, I appreciate that answer, and I think it's
important for my colleagues to understand. You know, what we're
talking about in terms of inter-agency collaboration is related
to students with special needs, it's related to learning
challenges, it's related to students in foster care, and it's
related to community violence.
Meaning if we don't do things right in our schools and
properly connect students and families with resources from
other agencies, then what we're going to see is an exacerbation
of students being evaluated for special ed, more violence in
the community because they're frustrated because their needs
aren't being met. I mean I think that's a big piece of it.
How can the U.S. Department of Education, I know it's a
Federal agency and there's a lot that happens locally that the
U.S. Department of Education isn't a part of? But how can the
Department of Education provide technical supports and some
guardrails and some communication with states and local school
districts to help them along the way, because this is an
unprecedented challenging time for many school districts and
states?
Secretary Cardona. One thing that I found when the pandemic
hit and where I was in Connecticut is that we had 170 districts
working on the same problem, but there were very few
opportunities for them to talk to one another. It's almost like
you have across the country, people are trying to fix the same
problem but not talking to one another.
So we have a responsibility to lift best practices, to
have--we have a best practices clearinghouse I'm reopening and
on mental health. We just had an equity summit with Dr.
Noguera, Baruti Kafele, and our Deputy Secretary and others,
talking about how to rethink equity.
And then we're engaging with folks, we're sending out
guidance, we're meeting with districts, we're talking to their
stakeholder leaders. We have to do more to share best
practices. The innovation doesn't always come from D.C. As a
matter of fact, I think our job is to bring out the innovation
that's happening in the local and State, lift it up, and then
also incentivize good strategies that we know that work.
So that's our job and the innovation is out there, and we
have to do a better job communicating it and lifting up best
practice.
Mr. Bowman. Thank you so much Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Bowman. I'm being told that Mr.
Fitzgerald is next, but I don't see him in the platform. So I'm
going to recognize the very patient gentlelady from Louisiana.
You have five minutes please.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you so much and thank you Secretary
Cardona for taking this time to testify before the Committee
today. You know much of the 5th District of Louisiana is rural,
which has its unique challenges, including access to broadband
and recruiting and retaining teachers.
When the pandemic shut down schools and learning had to be
moved online, this created many new challenges. However, one of
the biggest problems that emerged was many students, especially
those in rural areas, didn't have access to Internet. No access
to broadband impacts 350,000 Louisianians, including my own
household.
Unfortunately, for those students they had to learn by
paper packets or driving to their local libraries, government
buildings or even fast-food restaurants because they were only
place in their area with a dependable Internet signal. Frankly,
students without broadband access were being left behind.
While I'm thankful our states? healthcare professionals and
school administrators worked hard to reopen most of our schools
last fall, there are still many schools across the country that
are still teaching virtually. Many Republicans here in
Washington and around the country have expressed great concerns
with the administration's politicization of guidance related to
school reopening.
Your agency released guidance related to the use of
elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding. It
said, if school districts wish to use relief funding to support
school reopening and sustained operations, funds 'may be used
to develop strategies and implement public health protocols
including to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line
with guidance from the CDC for the reopening and operations of
school facilities.''
Secretary Cardona, could you please clarify here publicly
for the record what that guidance specifically means? Do
schools have to follow the CDC's guidance in order to use ESSER
money to support the reopening and sustained operations of
schools?
Secretary Cardona. Thank for the question. You know for us,
for me I've been very clear from Day 1. I want our schools
opened as quickly as possible. That's where students learn
best. That's where we know that they're going to get access to
their peers, to their teachers, to the social emotional
support, and in many cases to meals. For your children
technology, right?
So believe me, from Day 1 I wanted to make sure we get our
students in as quickly and as safely as possible. Our guidance
is that. It's guidance. It's not a mandate. But we recognize
the importance of following CDC guidance.
I was able to with colleagues across the State reopen
schools by adhering to guidance and listening to the guidance
that changed with time, but also pushing hard to make sure we
think of every opportunity to get our students in the schools
and the money did help that happen.
So I hope that answers your question, but I also hope it
reiterates what I've said from Day 1 as Secretary of Education.
There's no substitute for in-person learning, and I do expect
fully that in the fall, all students across the country will
have that opportunity to learn in-person. Thank you for
bringing up the rural issue.
I had a conference call with students in rural schools, and
you know we cannot ignore the importance or the challenge that
they have had. I'm hoping that with the infrastructure plan and
with the funds here, we can have the digital divide in our
rear-view mirror as a country.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you, Secretary. You know as a former
higher education administrator; I saw college students
borrowing more and more money because the Federal Government
allowed them to. These students weren't equipped to fully
understand the impact this debt would have on their lives in
years to come.
Schools, the Department and Congress should be doing more
to educate our students on the financial effects of loans and
be up front about the earning potential of certain careers. I
have concerns with allowing students to accrue mountains of
debt for degrees that have limited earning potential.
At one point the Department was examining limiting the
amount of money a student can borrow for federally backed
loans, based on the student's specific degree program. What can
the Department and Congress do to increase financial literacy
among students on the long-term effects of student loans? How
can we balance between adequately providing for students' needs
and capping loan amounts to only cover the true costs of
attendance?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that question, and
Representative Letlow, I couldn't agree with you more. To me,
it's a form of predatory schooling almost when you have someone
80, 90 thousand dollars in debt, and then being employed in a
career that you're not making a livable wage.
We have to protect our students by making sure that we're
providing options in not only financial literacy as you
discussed, but also pathways to careers that exist now that
could lead to higher income and allow students instead of being
in mountains of debt, to think about buying a home or starting
a family.
So I'm with you 100 percent on that. I can assure you that
this is an issue as a first-generation college student, you
know, it's really important when I went to school to make sure
that I was able to go into a profession where I can earn a
salary, get a contract and do well and continue with life.
We need to do more of that. We need to protect our
students. Thank you.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you so much Mr. Secretary. I yield back
my time.
Mr. Sablan. Yes, thank you Ms. Letlow. And now Wisconsin's
own Congressman Pocan. Mr. Pocan, you have five minutes sir.
Mr. Pocan. Thank you very much Mr. Chairman and thank you
Mr. Secretary especially for your patience and passion for
education. You probably thought you were in the middle of a
QAnon cultural revival for a while today, but I guess the head
of the Joint Chiefs had to go through that yesterday. It's a
sign of the times. But you did it with amazing grace, and I
thank you.
I wanted to ask you a question specific to my State of
Wisconsin. Your office helped me out a few weeks ago when the
Wisconsin legislature had a proposal that would underfund K to
12 education, and it jeopardized our state's receipt of
billions of dollars in Federal COVID aid. The speed and clarity
of your department's assessment of the Wisconsin budget ensured
that our State legislature reversed course.
I want to say thank you. Unfortunately, there's a new
concern that we have with the Wisconsin legislature. Their
newest budget proposal being advanced cuts property taxes
levied by schools and technical colleges by 647 million and
replaces that funding with the additional State dollars so that
Wisconsin can technically meet the Federal maintenance of
effort requirement for K to 12 education.
My fear though is without additional information from the
State legislature is that the budget gimmick being utilized
violates Section 9901(c)(2) of the American Rescue Plan, which
clearly states ``A State shall not use funds provided under
this section to either directly or indirectly reduce any tax.''
So the legislature has set next week to vote on the State
budget. We have made your office aware of this, but I'm just
wondering if you've had a chance to take a look at this and if
you can get back to us if you haven't had an analysis yet, as
quickly as possible so that we can try to, if there is a
problem alert the legislature.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for bringing that to our
attention, and more importantly thank you for advocating for
students and the responsibility of the states to maintain the
effort of providing funds for education. You know, our kids
need more, not less. By close of business today, someone will
be reaching out to your office.
Mr. Pocan. Oh great. Thank you very much Mr. Secretary, and
again last time I've never had a department respond so fast on
any issue. I just want to say thank you. I was very, very
impressed. You're doing a great job on that.
Second, last week I was proud to announce along with
Chairman Scott the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act,
which would increase the maximum Pell grant for 2022-23 award
year by almost 1,500. It would double the maximum Pell grant
over the next 5 years. It would extend Pell eligibility to
dreamers and would reinState the Pell grant lifetime
eligibility to 18 semesters among a number of other things.
I myself was a Pell grant recipient. I don't want to grab
the ladder up with me. I want to leave the ladder in place and
I'm really proud of the bill. We've got about 100 co-sponsors
so far in the House. One, I was wondering if you support the
goals of that legislation and if whatever we can't perhaps get
into the budget this year, if we could work with you to try to
make sure that it could appear in any future budget proposals
that would come out of the administration.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you. I do support. You know, I was
at a school in Michigan. I think I might have referenced Ruth
before. She shared her story how the Pell is helping her; Pell
grant is helping her access higher education later in life. She
used a health issue that she experienced to motivate her to
want to be a healthcare worker, and she's going to school now
to do that, and Pell helped.
You know in 1979 when it started, it paid for 77 percent of
in-State college tuition. Now that number is 29 percent. So it
hasn't kept up. So anything that we could do to get access to
more people to go to college, I'm certainly in favor of it. I
appreciate the efforts that you're doing there and know you
have a partner in the Department of Education, to make sure
college is accessible to more people.
Mr. Pocan. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I look forward to
working with you on that. One final question, last year we had
written to former Secretary DeVos regarding an improper 2020
charter school grant that was awarded to Charter Management
Organizations.
According to whistleblowers within the Department, they
provided information to our office the 2020 awardee was
initially ruled ineligible to receive an award by the
Department staff but was ultimately awarded Federal funds at
the direction of a political appointee, potentially in
violation of Federal law.
We never heard back from the Department of Education in the
last administration, but I would hope that you might be able to
take a look at that and get the requested communications and
documents that we requested last year to my office. That would
be very much appreciated.
Secretary Cardona. I can't promise you by close of business
today, but I--
Mr. Pocan. Don't worry about it.
Secretary Cardona. But I can assure you we're on it. We'll
be reaching out.
Mr. Pocan. You're setting an amazing bar. I appreciate it,
Mr. Secretary and I will yield back Mr. Chairman because
every--Mr. Chair, every Chairman loves that.
Mr. Sablan. Yes, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Pocan, and yes,
Secretary Cardona is certainly a breath of fresh air. You're
amazing. Now the other gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr.
Fitzgerald. Sir, five minutes please.
Mr. Fitzgerald. Yes, very good. It's great to be with you
Mr. Secretary. Thank you very much. Yes, it's unusual to be
back-to-back with representatives from Wisconsin, but I would
also really like to know kind of what your interpretation is of
how some of the Federal dollars as they have flowed to the
states, and I know in Wisconsin and Congressman Pocan's well
aware of this, that the executive branch there has almost
complete and full utilization of any of the Federal dollars
that come through.
So I think it's been frustrating for some of my colleagues
in the legislature, not to have the type of oversight that
we're used to through the Joint Finance Committee, of which
Representative Pocan was an honored Member of for many, many
years. So I'd be also curious to figure out kind of where we're
at and is that going to have an effect on Wisconsin's State
budget.
If I could just jump to a couple of other things. The one
is there's an issue and obviously you're aware of this, but
student privacy continues to kind of emerge as an issue that
I'm hearing about back in the district. And it's not even from
the perspective of just individual student information or
files, but kind of overreaching.
And in Wisconsin in the Department of Public Construction,
their access to some of this information, and then how that
information is gathered. I'm just wondering what your thoughts
are on that, because it seems--like I said, it seems to be
emerging as a big issue, not just in my State but I think
nationwide.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you for that. You know, I'll share
with you and thank you for first of all for your ask about more
information on the previous topic. Our team will reach out and
share more as we have more information.
Mr. Fitzgerald. Thank you.
Secretary Cardona. But you know when the pandemic hit, one
of the first things we did when we went over to remote was, you
know, provide access to programs, right, online for students
who are now at home. Previously, you know, we were trying to
get laptops in the hands of kids as quickly as possible.
There was a process where you would take those laptops and
make sure that we put all the firewalls in, which we had to do,
but also the privacy statements and all these contracts that we
would have with third parties who are providing content now
digitally, was something that took a little while, where now
we're bringing thousands and thousands of computers in with
programming.
So the student privacy question came up, and how do we make
sure that we're giving students access without compromising
their safety or their privacy? We have to work very carefully
on that, and it did take a lot of time and energy at the State
level to make sure that we're protecting students, while also
giving them access. So I appreciate that sentiment. It's a very
nuanced concern, but one that we take seriously as a result,
you know, because student privacy is at stake.
So what I can do is offer availability of my team who's
looking at that issue, to hear more concerns from you and
provide more information more specific around the issue of
student privacy.
Mr. Fitzgerald. Very good, very good. Thank you very much
for that answer. Yes, it's just--it seems to over the last
couple of years, it seems to have emerged as an issue that
keeps popping up. So let me just shift real quickly.
The other thing I just want to talk about is physical
security in and around school buildings. In Wisconsin, we had a
number of different incidents where law enforcement was
involved. Sometimes it was a student that maybe shouldn't have
been on campus or within the district, and security concerns
continued to emerge.
So what had happened was there were dollars available
through a grant program for many of the schools in Wisconsin to
kind of tap into, and once again enhance the physical security.
So even if they had maybe a community officer on the grounds or
if there were specific instances, but it was wildly successful.
I would just urge you. It's something that I think, because
oftentimes unfortunately if there's a major incident like a
school shooting that the immediate reaction is not necessarily
to take a look at the physical limitations of some of these
schools. Some of these schools that have been around for 50,
60, 70, 80 years that need to be improved and need to be
enhanced.
It was something. I don't know that it's something that--
you know, I understand you're just kind of getting your feet
wet. You're just jumping in on this. But I would urge you to
kind of take a look at that, because I think it's going to
become again something very important, and I think many school
boards throughout this Nation are going to start to take a hard
look at those types of improvements instead of just building
new facilities, which I understand is also happening.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, sir. As a principal during 9/
11 and the Sandy Hook massacre, I understand physical plant
safety and the importance of making sure that the environment
is safe for students and educators. Thank you for sharing that
information, I look forward to hearing more and communicating
more with your team as well.
Mr. Fitzgerald. Thank you very much. It was good to be with
you today and look forward to working with your team. Thank
you.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald. I'm sometimes
accused of being a secretary, a former secretary of HUD. I now
call on Mr. Castro of Texas. Five minutes sir.
Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairman, and thank you Mr.
Secretary for being with us today and for your testimony. I
have a few questions. By 2029, it's expected that Hispanic
enrollment in public schools will comprise 27 percent of total
enrollment. However, many Hispanic students start school
without the same economic and social resources as other peers.
As the Hispanic population continues to grow, we have to
give Hispanic students the opportunity for higher education to
prepare for the workforce. So what's the Department doing to
help schools prepare Hispanic students for college, and what is
the Department doing to ensure that funding for adult education
and literacy programs are part of the immigration discussion,
especially to ensure immigrant parents can participate in their
children's education?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much for that Joaquin,
and I agree Representative Castro. I agree wholeheartedly. It's
a very complex. I mean I can tell you there's 600 million in
the budget for higher ed for MSIs, HBCUs, in making sure that
our students that are going to Hispanic-serving institutions
get the support.
But I'm going to start earlier. We need to have a good
quality foundation. The American Family Plan talks about a pre-
K program for our students. For Latino students and many
students who are learning English, who have a native language
of Spanish, I want to make sure we recognize that as an asset.
We want students to be bilingual and bicultural, right?
It's an added bonus. But we have to make sure that our
programs in the K-12 world follow the research and right now in
many places they don't. We have a subtractive model. So quality
second language development programs that honor and keep their
native language, so that we have students that are coming out
of our schools multilingual, ensuring that they have good
pathways into the 2-year, 4-year colleges and careers that lead
to, you know, successful employment. But also in adult
education, there's 713 million in the budget, to make sure that
we support all of our learners who are coming back to adult
education, that want to learn English so that they can continue
with their workforce pursuits.
Mr. Castro. Sure, and then I want to followup with this
point when we talk about schools, and I know that there's been
a bit of a debate raging about Critical Race Theory and what's
taught at our schools and so forth. I was in another hearing,
otherwise I probably would have heard some of that critique
earlier perhaps from some of the other Members of the
Committee.
I know that the Federal Government doesn't control
curriculum. The states and the individual school districts and
school boards do that. But I want to ask you a question in a
second about what resources you can lend to school districts
and teachers, to teach diverse populations and the
contributions of those diverse populations in American history?
And I want to give you a little bit of context to this. I
was Chair of the congressional Hispanic Caucus last term, and
we had a working meeting with a group that included some CEOs
of textbook publishing companies. I asked one of these CEOs of
one of these big companies whether he could name three Latinos
or Latinas who had made a significant contribution or had a
significant impact in American history.
He thought about it for a few seconds, and he finally said,
you know, no I can't. He wasn't trying to be dismissive or rude
about my question. This very educated, ambitious man who was
head of a huge company that produces textbooks for schools
could not name three people that are part of a population
that's almost 20 percent of the country now, who had had an
important impact on American history.
And so I speak for generations of Latinos, and I think
others in this country who grew up essentially being ripped out
of American history and State histories also. And so you've
got, you've still got a lot of young people who are growing up
without learning that there was anybody valuable from their
community who contributed to the success and the development of
the United States of America.
I think that we've got to be mindful of that, and I hope
that the Federal Government, the U.S. Department of Education,
can help supplement the efforts of school districts and states
in achieving the teaching of the importance of different
peoples to the success of this country.
Secretary Cardona. Absolutely, thank you sir. I love the
way you articulated it. You made the point very clear that when
our students don't see themselves in their texts, they can't
achieve or they find it more difficult to achieve different
positions or different roles, because they don't see people
that look like them there.
Everyone benefits seeing how our beautiful country was
shaped, and with input from different people. That's what makes
this country so special. I think it's become politicized as you
know. It's become politicized and in fact I've heard more about
Critical Race Theory during this hearing than what we're doing
for the people of our country, our students, who are not going
to have an opportunity to go to community college, addressing
some of the issues with higher education of pre-K. I heard more
about that because that's what's going to get the headline.
We know we don't have a role there. But we do acknowledge
good education. I've been an educator my whole life. Where
students see themselves, they're more likely to engage. They're
more likely to learn about other cultures, and that's what
brings us together as Americans.
Mr. Castro. Thank you for your service. I yield back.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Castro. The gentleman's time has
expired. Hopefully and probably the last Member today as we
move from Texas to New York. The gentleman, Mr. Espaillat. Five
minutes.
Mr. Espaillat. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman. Before I begin, I would like to highlight local
support for the American Rescue Plan from the Superintendent of
Schools in the Archdiocese of New York, Michael Deagan, and I
quote him. ``It would allow us to provide remediation to
children who have experienced learning gaps because of remote
learning, as well as enrichment programs above and beyond the
academic learning that we'll be providing to the children.''
Mr. Chairman, I would ask that the full article or quote be
entered into the record.
Mr. Sablan. Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Espaillat. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Secretary for being
with us today. First, let me begin by supporting the
Secretary's recommendations to increase by $200 million the
TRIO Programs. They're very important to my district and the
entire country. I think it's a wise investment for our future
college students.
Regarding English language learners, I know that English
language learners because I have significant numbers of them in
one school district, District 6. There's over 6,000 of them
making up over 30 percent of student population in that
district. They've really suffered during the pandemic with
remote learning, perhaps more than any other average student.
And as such, I think that they now need additional help. In
addition to that, I think that very often they're in classrooms
where they may not even have a certified bilingual teacher
before them. And I think it is a critical challenge to get
those teachers before them, perhaps by providing additional
benefits or extra pay.
I think being a certified bilingual teacher is just
equivalent to having a master's program in math for example, or
science. So it's important that these young children, some of
which were born in other countries and others who are first
generation
Americans but they still speak their native language at
home, be provided that opportunity.
In addition to that Mr. Secretary, I think that also
they're held to a very difficult standard. They often have to
take these very difficult English language arts exam a year
before they got here, a year after they got here, and the
science and the data shows that it takes about six to 7 years
to really master a language.
I know that very well because I was one of those students,
and I didn't get a bilingual education and I was there sitting
in the back of the classroom for 2 years, not knowing what was
being said. When I finally graduated and went to college, I
took a look at some of my college freshman papers that my
mother had saved away and I read them, and I was still
struggling. I wasn't altogether there. I wasn't able to speak
my Shakespearean English as I do now perhaps Mr. Chairman.
So these students really need help, and I'm wondering Mr.
Secretary what you have planned for them? Are you going to keep
this process where they have to take these very rigid English
language arts exams a year after they got here, when even U.S.
born students, non-ELLs, are having a difficult time with them?
And what would you do to improve the ratio of certified
bilingual teachers in the classroom?
Secretary Cardona. Thank you very much Congressman for
bringing up those really important issues. As you mentioned,
it's a growing population. It's a growing population and we
have to make sure that when we're talking about multilingual
learners, it's not a separate bucket of work.
All teachers are EL teachers, and we have to make sure that
our schools are prepared to meet the needs of our multilingual
learners in a way that acknowledges and accepts and encourages
being multilingual, right? In many other countries, we have
students that speak two or three languages.
We want to encourage our students to keep their native
language and learn English. And you brought up several good
points. Y know language development, you're absolutely right.
It was renowned Professor Jim Cummins who identified that
cognitive academic language proficiency happens between 7 and
11 years.
That's that cognitive language that our students use when
writing or when analyzing in a second language. So we need to
make sure we're following the research on how second languages
develop. We need to make sure we have adequate training, and
you brought up something that I'm really proud of. There's over
a billion dollars in the American Family Plan aimed at
recruiting and keeping teachers in those hard to recruit areas
like bilingual education, special education.
We need to make sure we have a qualified and trained
workforce in those areas, so that they're giving the students
the needs, the skills that they need. As a former principal of
a school with a bilingual program, I was dismayed to have to
have long term substitutes in the classes that needed it the
most.
So that to me is a really big step in the right direction.
We also know that, you know, in terms of assessments, you know,
while local and State rules around assessments drive it, we
have to make sure that we're doing sensible assessments and not
over-assessing students or attributing lack of content
knowledge to a student who's just learning the language. That
was an issue that I experienced as well. So I'm with you on
that. I look forward to working with you more on it.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you.
Mr. Espaillat. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Espaillat, and thank you
Secretary Cardona. My goodness, I think it's almost about 3
hours, right, 4 hours. I think we're done. We're through the
Member questions now, and so now pursuant to Committee
practice, materials for submission for the hearing record must
be submitted to the Committee Clerk within 14 days following
the last day of the hearing, or by close of business on July
8th, preferably in Microsoft Word format.
Only a Member of the Committee or by the Office of the
Secretary may submit materials for inclusion in the hearing
record, and the materials must address the subject matter of
this hearing. Please submit materials to the Clerk
electronically by mailing submissions to
[email protected].
Again, I want to thank the Secretary for his participation
today, and of course for his engaging with the Members and
their questions. Members of the Committee may have some
additional questions for you Mr. Secretary, and we ask that you
please respond to those questions in writing.
The hearing record will be kept open for 14 days in order
to receive those responses. I remind my colleagues that
pursuant to Committee practice, witness questions for the
hearing record must be submitted to the Majority Committee
Staff or Committee Clerk within 7 days. The questions submitted
must address the subject matter of the hearing.
I now would like to recognize the distinguished Ranking
Member for a closing statement, Mr. Owens.
Mr. Owens. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Once again, for yielding.
Mr. Secretary, thank you again for joining us. It's been a
long--
Mr. Sablan. Would you turn on your camera please? Thank
you.
Mr. Owens. Sorry. Sorry about that, sorry about that. OK
Mr. Secretary, again thank you for joining us. I know it's been
a long day for you, and I appreciate your patience. You have a
very, very impressive background and I again love your love for
your industry and wish you all the best and success in your
role.
I want to add to Representative Castro's comments. Teaching
our great history what we've done together is the magic and
really what brings us all together as a Nation. So I hope that
not only for the Hispanic, but the Asians, black history
together, and those that came before us is just a great, great
part of making sure we're proud of who we are. You've said many
things today, Members on our side of the aisle will agree with.
As Ranking Member Foxx said earlier, we especially appreciate
the support you expressed for career and technical education.
As you know, there are some things many Republican Members
feel passionate about, and we're eager to work with you on
that. Arguably, the most important challenge our Nation faces
is ensuring that every student has a pathway to a good job and
meaningful career.
Of course, there are other things you said that I won't,
will not, I do not agree with. You said several times that
education is underfunded and that has been normalized. Mr.
Secretary, I appreciate that everyone wants more. But it's
important to ground those debates in facts. The Institution of
Education Science just put out a report last month comparing
education spending in the United States to other developed
countries.
Based on 2017 data, the United States spent 14 hundred 11--
$1,400 per student in elementary and secondary education. That
placed us fourth among 37 Members, Member nations in the
Organization of Economic Corporation and Development and was 37
percent higher than the OECD average. At a post-graduate level,
we spent 3,500 per student, which is second among the OECD
countries and more than double that average.
As a country we spend a lot of money in education. The
problem isn't how much; the problem is how. Your predecessor
has been criticized a few times during this meeting, but former
Secretary DeVos put students and families at the center of
every decision she made. I hope that the Department under your
leadership does not revert to putting the system above
students.
At the K through 12 level, that would mean continue to
Secretary DeVos' efforts to expand educational freedom, so that
every family has the same level of choice you and I have. At
the post-secondary level, it means not simply putting, pumping
more money into a system awash in cash, that will only allow
schools to continue rising costs and the price so many low-
income families are out, put out of the American dream.
It means resisting calls to subsidize the student loan
costs of higher income individuals on the backs of lower income
taxpayers.
I also want to revisit a couple of issues that received a
lot of attention throughout the hearing. First there's been a
lot of conversation about Critical Race Theory. Mr. Secretary,
I want to full truth about this country's history taught to our
students. I want all the students to see themselves in history.
That's critically important. You and I agree on that.
But how that is accomplished couldn't be more important.
You're supposed to use the Department of Education funds to
endorse the teaching of radical, far left ideologies that
defines people exclusively based on the color of their skin. I
urge you to reject that approach and pursue the policies that
bring people together, rather than create more division.
I also want to talk about higher education accountability.
Members on the other side of the aisle are concerned that you
will advance policies that unfairly target one sector of higher
education while ignoring the shortcomings of the other sector.
Mr. Secretary, the national college graduation rate is around
60 percent. That isn't going to be fixed by obsessing over one
type of education or one type of institution. I urge you to
pursue policies that will hold all institutions accountable
equally.
I also want to reiterate a point that Ranking Member Foxx
made earlier regarding the public service loan forgiveness.
Your agency's own data shows the main reason for the
forgiveness rate on the program is borrowers not yet reaching
their 120 qualifying payments. It is not because of previous
administration's negligence or mismanagement, and not being
straightforward about this does not, does a disservice to our
students.
On behalf of Ranking Member Foxx, I also want to submit to
the record a letter from Keiser University that sets straight
some of the comments made by my Democratic colleagues about the
institution.
Finally, Mr. Secretary, I urge you to take the threat of
the foreign influence on our post-secondary schools seriously.
You have an obligation to enforce the laws that protect
students, institutions, and our Nation's security. Once again,
I want to thank you for your efforts for your love for the
institution, and look forward to working with you, and I yield
back.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Owens for your closing
statements. I now recognize myself for the purpose of making my
closing statement. Secretary Cardona, thank you again sir for
joining us to discuss the Department's budget request and your
priorities to support students, educators, and communities.
Today we reflected on our work under the Biden-Harris
administration to expand access to quality education and to
help students in schools to recover from this pandemic. Because
of the American Rescue Plan, institutions of higher education
have the funding they need to stay afloat, and schools have the
necessary resources and guidance to safely reopen and make up
for lost time in the classroom.
Yet today's hearings reaffirmed that it is not enough to
return our educational system to the pre-pandemic status quo.
To that end, I am pleased that through the Department's budget
request the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan,
the administration is committed to building back a better
education system where everyone can succeed.
I would like to briefly review some of those key takeaways.
I will--We will insert those takeaways in the record.
Mr. Sablan. Again, Secretary Cardona, thank you very much
for your time today and your patience and thank you for
engaging with the Members on the questions and actually
providing us as best a response as you can at the time. But we
look forward to working with you sir, to ensure all students
have quality access to the quality education that they need to
reach their full potential.
And if there's no further business, this meeting is
adjourned. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and have a good day.
Secretary Cardona. Thank you, sir.
[Additional submission by Chairman Scott follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho
Sablan, a Delegate in Congress from the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Frederica S. Wilson, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Florida follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Suzanne Bonamici, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Oregon follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Adriano Espillat, a
Representative in Congress from the State of New York follows:]
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[Prepared Statement from Hon. Raul M. Grijalva, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submissions by Hon. Andy Levin, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan follow:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Joseph D. Morelle, a
Representative in Congress from the State of New York follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Donald Norcross, a
Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey
follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Ranking Member Foxx and Hon.
Burgess Owens, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Utah follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Rick Allen, a Representative
in Congress from the State of Georgia follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Additional submission by Hon. Michelle Steel, a
Representative in Congress from the State of California
follows:]
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[Questions submitted for the record follow:]
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[Responses by Secretary Cardona follow:]
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[Whereupon, the Committee adjourned at 3:03 p.m.]
[all]
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