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Head Start bill makes the House vote, moves to Senate
A Republican bill that gives the states more control of the Head Start federal preschool program squeaked by in a House vote of 217 to 216 Friday and is on its way to the Senate.
The Republican push for HR 2210 was rooted in two main areas - future funding increases and the length of commitment the pilot states controlling their programs must agree to. The new legislation would also require at least half of Head Start's teachers to have bachelor's degrees.
In the end, the original $200 million increase was not changed, but future increases were curbed. For a state to gain control of its program, it has to fund its own existing preschool programs with at least 50 percent of the funding Head Start receives and agree to do so for five years. If the bill moves forward, eight states will be chosen to start this pilot program next year.
Those in favor of the bill argue that there is not enough being done to prepare children academically and this could be remedied if the program were handled at the state level. The federal government would give the eight pilot states annual grants to pay its expenses.
For the past 38 years, the Head Start program has offered preschool classes and various social services for needy children. The main goal of the program is to close the gap between children from low-income families and those with middle- to upper-class incomes when they enter grade school. The program assists approximately 1 million children each year.
Illinois Representatives Judy Biggert, R-IL, and Danny Davis D-IL, are members of the House Education and Workforce Committee and have stated their concern over state administration of Head Start.
In a statement issued last Friday, Sarah Greene, president and CEO of the National Head Start Association, recalled the benefits of the way Head Start currently operates.
"Let me take this opportunity to set the record straight - Head Start works," Greene said. "Nearly nine out of 10 Head Start classrooms reviewed by the federal government get top marks. And the vast majority of the research on Head Start concludes that it does what it is supposed to do.
"We need to preserve Head Start's high standards and proven quality, not lower them, as the House measure would have America do."
Despite the narrow win in the House, Greene said she does not anticipate the same results in the Senate this fall.
"The razor-thin one-vote margin of the U.S. House vote on HR 2210 shows that there is no appetite in Washington or anywhere else in this nation for a radical proposal that dismantles the federal government's nearly four-decade-long commitment to getting at-risk children ready to learn through Head Start," Greene said.
"We already know that the eight-state pilot program aspect of the U.S. House bill is a complete non-starter in the U.S. Senate, where we have every reason to believe that cooler heads will prevail in determining what is best for the one million low-income children who depend on Head Start in order to get a chance to compete in school and in life."
Both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are against the bill. A representative of the NEA said he was "disappointed in the legislation that fails to protect Head Start."
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, confirmed this sentiment in a release.
"The majority was intent on passing this flawed legislation, no matter what the cost to our children," Hinojosa said. "The closeness of the vote indicates the profound discomfort that a number of republicans had with the detrimental provisions of this bill."
The Director of SIUC's Head Start program declined to comment.
Those that oppose the bill have concerns that the quality of the program would decrease if its responsibility were shifted to the states. It would be run by individual school systems, alongside existing preschool programs.
Critics worry that academic standards would also drop significantly. Many school districts have already been forced to reduce the number of active preschool programs due to a lack of financial resources.
Greene said that she hopes the Senate is ultimately more concerned with taking measures that will strengthen the Head Start program instead of dismantling it.
"Americans should not be taken in by the snake-oil sales pitch that there is something ailing Head Start that needs to be remedied," Greene said. "We can build on the [future] success of the Head Start program without tearing down its outstanding legacy of success."
