CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE

March 21, 1966

Page 6350

FUNDS FOR FEDERALLY IMPACTED SCHOOLS

Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am deeply concerned over proposals to reduce the program of aid to federally impacted areas.

Public Law 874 has been in existence for 16 years. Through this program, payment is made to individual school districts for children whose parents work for the Federal Government and/or live on Federal property.

During the last fiscal year, a total of $416 million was given to 4,200 local school districts for pupils who are federally connected.

This program has aided and improved our school system by helping to maintain our high standard of education. It has enabled the communities to expand their educational programs without cutting back on quality. The Federal Government should provide at least a part of this money since the installations produce no direct tax benefits for support of the schools or the communities.

Education is essential in today's complex society. The program has provided necessary funds for more qualified teachers and better school facilities. We all know the difficulties which communities face in raising enough revenues to support necessary services. This is especially true in Maine where the property tax has for many years been under severe pressure.

The proposed cutback in the federally impacted school aid program from $416 million to $183 million, about a 44-percent cutback, would be detrimental to our educational system and the Nation as a whole. It would hit many communities hardest that can least afford any reduction in Federal aid funds.

In Maine, if the President's proposal is upheld, the reduction would be from the scheduled $3.2 million to $1.2 million, or about 60 percent. Presently, 69 Maine school districts are eligible for help. However, under the new proposal, 13 of these districts would be dropped from the program and in many of the remaining communities, help would be meaningless. For instance, 3 communities would receive $98 and 12 communities would be allotted less than $1,000 each.

Thus, local governments would have to assume the costs of education for a number of children of Federal employees and individual tax rates would rise.

Public Law 874 supplies a vital need for thousands of communities throughout the United States. Other bills are designed to meet the educational requirements of needy students. To cut back this important program would serve to create more educational problems for communities in which the Federal Government bears a direct and legitimate responsibility. This program has worked well for the last 16 years. It should be continued.