WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), responding to the needs from the tens of thousands of students and teachers affected by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina has written to the Secretary of Education proposing a new initiative that will address their collective concerns.

Letter to Secretary Spellings signed by Congressman Fattah and his colleagues.

September 9, 2005

Secretary Margaret Spellings
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202

Dear Secretary Spellings:

In the wake of the terrible devastation caused to many schools including colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast region, we want to recognize the Department of Education for its prompt action in taking the lead to ensure that all students adversely impacted by the hurricane will be able to further their education without a prolonged disruption from their studies.  In addition, the Department’s website is providing vital information on the increasing needs of students and schools currently serving displaced students.

The enormity of Hurricane Katrina’s impact cannot be overstated.  As many as 170,000 students in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have been displaced from their schools. A problem of such unprecedented magnitude demands a well coordinated and concerted effort by the federal government.  All resources must be made available to aid students and their families as they strive to regain some semblance of normalcy in their daily lives. Due to the magnitude of this tragic situation, we urge the Department to establish a new initiative that will fully address this issue.  This initiative, could be called, “Katrina – Kindergarten to College: Office of Special Operations,” as envisioned would function as a resource center for students, faculty, and staff adversely affected by the hurricane.

Priorities for this initiative include:

1. The tracking of high school seniors to make certain that every possible effort is pursued to guarantee their graduation at the end of the current school year.

2. The transfer of college students to institutions where they will be able to immediately continue their education.
 
3. The management of federal funds for the complete restoration of affected campuses for the swift return of students.

4. The implementation of measures to allow for the portability of teacher pensions by establishing interstate reciprocity agreements, as well as providing for interstate licensing and certification to eliminate problems of teacher transferability to different states.

We also encourage the Department of Education to lend its support to the various organizations which are paving the way to ensure our nation’s students are provided with the necessary tools to complete their education.

As the Congress considers tens of billions in supplemental appropriations, we remain interested in working with the Department of Education to determine the cost of this initiative.  Please contact Michelle Anderson-Lee, Chief of Staff for Congressman Fattah to further discuss this critically important issue.

Very truly yours,

Chaka Fattah
Member of Congress        

Artur Davis
Member of Congress

William Jefferson
Member of Congress   

Bennie Thompson 
Member of Congress 

Harold Ford Jr.
Member of Congress