Where Will Our Students Stand Without Impact Aid?

My View

IMPACT AID WAS signed into law in 1950 during the administration of President Harry Truman. It is considered one of the oldest federal educational laws in the United States, and it’s a government program I appreciate highly as a superintendent.

Impact Aid serves counties and communities that, through the presence of federally impacted land (think: military bases and Indian reservations), are unable to collect or generate property taxes. Given the prominent role of property taxes in supporting public schools, these communities — like mine in Port Angeles, Wash. — face unique obstacles in adequately supporting schools.

Recognizing this hardship is the direct consequence of federal presence, the federal government pays its property taxes to local school districts. Funding for Impact Aid today exceeds one billion dollars.

Traditional Language

What does Impact Aid mean to my 4,000-student district in the Pacific Northwest? These funds ($70,000 in the past fiscal year) have been used for more than 15 years to provide academic support and cultural education to students in the Port Angeles School District with documented Native American/Alaskan Indian ancestry. Native American instructional assistance provides small-group instruction or individual math, reading and writing support to those in the Native American Studies Program.

Most importantly, Impact Aid supports the Klallam language programs across K-12 levels. These classes can provide academic credits in state history or foreign language. Once forbidden in the 1880s to speak their language, the Klallam Tribe almost lost its culture and language. Klallam is the language of the Klallam Tribes, who live at Lower Elwha, Jamestown and Port Gamble in Washington state and Becher Bay on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Reviving their language has helped tribe members to transcribe stories, write speeches or songs and open up an entire culture to its peoples. Funding from Impact Aid has helped tremendously in that process.

The funding used to support reading and writing has contributed to Port Angeles students scoring 10 percent higher in English language arts on the Smarter Balance Assessment over the last two years. Instruction in the Klallam language has increased Native American youths’ awareness about themselves and improved understanding between them and others in our community. The support staff paid by Impact Aid provide a crucial connection between the tribal communities and the schools.

To experience a “living culture” firsthand, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the school district host an annual Potlatch for students and their families. This tradition of indigenous people involves an elaborate ceremony, which students plan and perform.

A Serious Threat

Impact Aid is a federal program that works in my district, in my state and in communities across the nation. Unfortunately, a shifting tide in federal policy — particularly the emphasis on privatization — will negatively affect schools like mine that rely on Impact Aid.

In its budget request to Congress earlier this year, the Trump administration proposed slashing 13 percent in funding to the U.S. Department of Education. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, in downscaling federal support to public education, threatens school districts’ ability to provide educational opportunities for students.

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools is leading the effort to increase funding for Impact Aid to ensure school districts like Port Angeles can continue to provide a high quality education for all students.