Secure Rural Schools Reintroduced in 119th Congress

Congress has reintroduced the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1381/S. 356) which reauthorizes the program from FY24-FY26. The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program provides critical funding to school districts that are near federal forest lands and unable to generate revenue as a result. If Congress fails to reauthorize the program, rural schools and communities across the country will lose funding they rely on.  

As a reminder, at the end of last year the Senate passed the bill with unanimous consent but the House did not take it up in time. AASA is urging Congress to include the bill in the next spending package that moves (current deadline is March 14). While the program is relatively small in the context of federal funding (about $290 million), in the context of small rural schools - it is a lifeline. We will continue to advocate on this issue until Congress does the right thing and reauthorizes the program.