Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Chairman PERKINS. I want to say that Congressman Ford is here and he will preside over these hearings a little later. He has always worked very hard on the impact legislation.

Mr. Goodling is here, of course, representing the minority. He is a great friend of education. He served on the board of education a long, long time in Pennsylvania.

Go ahead.

STATEMENT OF DR. H. DAVID FISH, SPECIAL PROJECTS

DIRECTOR, SAN DIEGO CITY SCHOOLS

Dr. FISH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am glad to see a former member of the school board. We work with school board members all the time, of course.

I am David Fish. I am director of special projects for the San Diego city schools and president-elect of the Impact Aid Organization. I have prepared written testimony and would like to request permission to enter it for the record.

Chairman PERKINS. Without objection your prepared statement will be inserted in the record.

Dr. FISH. And also in response to a rather strong plea from the Douglas School District No. 3 at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, they have prepared a statement. I would like to requestChairman PERKINS. Without objection that statement will be in

serted in the record.

Dr. FISH. Thank you, sir.

[Statement referred to follows:]

DOUGLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 3, ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S. DAK.

FOREWORD

This material is presented to the House of Representatives, Education and Labor Committee, to apprise them of the potentially dangerous situation that exists for the Douglas School District #3, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, under the provisions of Title III, FEDERAL IMPACT AID PROGRAMS, PUBLIC LAW 93-380.

The Douglas Board of Education has the responsibility of providing a viable educational program for the students of this district. Consequently, there is an urgent need to resolve the financial uncertainties associated with the provisions of P.L. 93-380 which threaten the continued existence of that educational program and the District.

The Douglas School District is a heavy impact district with more than 80% of the student population composed of dependents of military personnel assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base. The following table provides a summary of students by category for the past three years.

TABLE 1.-ENROLLMENTS, DOUGLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 3 BY AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE

[blocks in formation]

With this degree of impaction the Douglas School System relies heavily on P.L. 81-874 for its educational revenue.

The figures on the following page given a breakdown of this support and a comparison of Douglas and State per pupil average daily attendance expenditures. Since local and state support is already at the maximum limit established by law, it is apparent that Federal revenue in the form of P.L. 81-874 is vital to the operation of this district. Provisions of the old law were designed to provide a level of support comparable to the average per pupil cost in the State. As revealed in Figure I this has not been accomplished. A restricted educational program for all students of the district has resulted from the diminishing level of federal funding. Public Law 93-380 with proposed tier funding now brings a new threat into focus.

Full funding of Tier I and II is obviously needed by this district if it is to operate at all. Douglas School would lose 40% of its total revenue without Tier II funding. But, even if these were funded, there remains another serious problem involving funding of Section 2, section 2(c) (4) and 3(e). Funding under these

[blocks in formation]

sections of the old law provided this district with a significant portion of the total operating revenue. This is shown in the following table and figure.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »