Gluesenkamp Perez Again Urges House Leadership to Extend Lifeline for Rural Schools
Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) sent another letter urging House Leadership to immediately prioritize a three-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program to ensure rural communities can continue to access vital funds for infrastructure and schools. According to the Forest Service, reauthorization needs to be completed no later than the end of January in order for the program to stay on schedule.
In September, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez urged House Leadership to include SRS reauthorization in must-pass legislation before the end of the 2023 calendar year.
The SRS program is a historically bipartisan lifeline for rural communities who rely on timber revenue that has been limited by federal action and are highly impacted by federal lands. In Skamania County, only 1.8 percent of land can generate revenue for public services, and SRS funding accounts for 5.1 percent of the county’s budget. The school district will have to make drastic cuts if SRS funding isn’t received and has already laid off staff and combined schools to try to save money, even with SRS funding.
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez cosponsored bipartisan legislation in the 118th Congress to reauthorize the program and led a bipartisan amendment to include reauthorization in annual defense legislation. She has been working to build support for the effort among her colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
“Where your kids live shouldn’t determine the quality of education they receive – but in communities like mine, where funding for public services is tied to natural resources like timber, failure to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program will further jeopardize our ability to adequately fund basic services,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “The Secure Rural Schools program is an investment in the equality of our children’s opportunities, and I refuse to allow federal inaction to undermine it. Rural schools are already enduring painful cuts – and schools in Southwest Washington have had to consider difficult choices in the face of the program expiring, including cutting down to a four-day school week.”
“The Stevenson-Carson School District serves over 700 students in a rural community that relies heavily on Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding. Our tax base is significantly limited by the federal lands within our boundary, and losing these monies will drastically impact the education of our learners. If we do not receive funding this year, we lose the dollars that pay for the equivalent of 5 teachers or 17 classified positions. The school year is nearly half over, and we cannot legally reduce teaching staff at this point in the year. This means essential services and personnel will be cut, and what can’t be cut will come from our very limited funds for facility repair. There will be no money left at that point to maintain our very old buildings. Schools have already been combined, staff already eliminated,” said Dr. Ingrid L. Colvard, Superintendent of the Stevenson-Carson School District. “For the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, our school district will need to cut $500,000 to $900,000 from the budget based on declining enrollment alone. This is overwhelming considering what we have already cut, and not receiving SRS funds will add an additional $800,000 to that amount. Our children deserve an education that provides what they need to prepare for their futures. They deserve enough adult staff to safely supervise them at school. We are careful stewards of funds, but our students should not suffer because their community includes a significant amount of federal land. I hope they are not forgotten in the midst of all that is happening politically. Time is running out and we need immediate help so we do not have to make choices that seriously impact learning and safety.”
“The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding is absolutely vital for the safety and growth of Lewis County,” said Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer. “With more than 1,200 miles of rural roadway to maintain, we rely on SRS funding to support critical infrastructure work, from chip-seal and pavement repairs to essential road services. Unfortunately, the dramatic decline in funding – from $2.2 million in 2006 to less than $700,000 in 2023 – has left us struggling to meet even our most basic maintenance goals. Each $1 million in funding allows us to repair 30 miles of road, but without adequate resources, we’re forced to delay or abandon projects, leading to more costly repairs down the line. We urge Congress to prioritize a long-term legislative solution to ensure continued revenue-sharing for rural counties and schools that depend on this funding for their survival.”
“SRS funds help support unique and important program efforts in rural Skamania County. Forest Youth Success (FYS) is one of them. FYS is an award-winning program that holds enormous community value as it has provided employment opportunities for hundreds of local teens for the last 22 years. As a workforce development program operated in partnership with WSU Extension, the Stevenson Carson School District, and the U.S. Forest Service, FYS hires and trains teens to provide support to agencies like the Forest Service with trail maintenance and land management projects. Participants get the added benefit of receiving training in important life and job skills as well as education around Natural Resource Management and Forestry. Partners of the program benefit as the youth crews complete work that their agencies otherwise would not have had the capacity to address,” said Hannah Brause, Director of WSU Extension in Skamania County. “With the support of SRS funds, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, a variety of community partners, and the youth of Skamania County all benefit in tangible and valuable ways.”
“In 1990, Skamania County received $10 million dollars from the active management of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (today’s equivalent is $22.4 million) That was 25 percent of the revenue they produced. These funds were split between the schools and the county. By 2001, that amount dropped to near zero and SRS was put in place to make up some of the loss. But it too has been continually reduced. In the last SRS package, we each received about $1.1 million. The reauthorization of these funds is critical to the schools and the county,” said Skamania County Commissioner Tom Lannen (District 2). “Staff reduction is the primary tool to offset these losses. The county has lost over 90 positions (36 percent) in the last decade as a result of inflation, skyrocketing costs, and ever-increasing government mandates. Schools have been even more impacted.
“I am very concerned that Secure Rural Schools (SRS) has not yet been passed. As a small, 72-student school in western Skamania County, we depend on SRS funds to remain open. If we were to close, our taxpayers would become part of the Washougal School District, paying significantly higher taxes,” said Liz Wilber, member of the Mt. Pleasant School Board. “As a school board, we have worked hard to be fiscally responsible, earning a perfect score in the state for our fiscal health. Please do all you can to encourage your fellow representatives to pass this important funding source.”
“I write to express my disappointment over the failure to include reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program in the end of year spending package and call on you to prioritize reauthorization in the first weeks of this new Congress … This program provides a vital lifeblood to rural communities, funding roads, schools, and other critical infrastructure,” wrote Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez in the letter. “Time and time again, our bipartisan colleagues have called on you to reauthorize this program without delay … It’s inexcusable this necessary, bipartisan program has been caught in political crossfire. For my counties, SRS funding can be make or break. Reauthorization is more urgent than ever. We cannot let our children bear the consequences of Congressional inaction.”
Full text of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s letter can be found here.