LULAC Opposes Every Student Succeeds Act Urges Congress to Vote No

December 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. issued the following statement in response to the release of the Every Student Succeeds Act, legislation which would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):

“For the past several months, LULAC, along with other civil rights partners, has worked to inform Members of Congress about the need for critical revisions to the House and Senate legislation reauthorizing the ESEA.

LULAC has stressed that without strong subgroup accountability, better data, resource equity, and language to strengthen the federal role, any ESEA reauthorization would fall short of meeting the needs of our children. Unfortunately, the legislative text released this week does not fully address these issues and thus does not adequately provide the necessary support to ensure the success of Latino students.

The conference process has also been troubling. The fact that not a single member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus was appointed as a conferee for the final ESEA negotiations between the House and Senate is problematic given that Latinos represent 26% of U.S. public school enrollment.

These concerns aside, we acknowledge that the legislation could have been much worse. We appreciate the attempts of lawmakers, including Senator Patty Murray and Representative Robert “Bobby” Scott, to fight to protect the civil rights legacy of the ESEA. We also acknowledge the roles of our allies in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Representatives Ruben Hinojosa and Raul Grijalva, who have championed Latino education issues for years.

LULAC cannot support a bill that concedes so much federal oversight and power to the states – especially given that many states are failing to meet the needs of Latino students. The stakes are too high to allow the pendulum to swing so forcefully away from robust federal oversight of our public schools. For these reasons, LULAC opposes this legislation and urges Members of Congress to vote against its passage.”

LULAC members are encouraged to contact their Members of Congress and urge them to vote NO on the Every Student Succeeds Act. Click here to contact Congress.

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.