For Immediate Release
Contact: Richard A. Ungerer, Executive Director
Phone: 212-358-1250 x308
E-mail: richard@amshq.org
American Montessori Society
116 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003-2163
Catherine Maresca, a member of the AMS Public Policy Committee, attends the monthly meetings of the Council for American Private Education in Washington, DC. We thank her for filing this report with us:
At the November 28 meeting of the Council for American Private Education, a topic of discussion was the organization’s objective for the Elementary and Second Education Act (ESEA): Equitable Funding for Private School Students. (ESEA emphasizes equal access to education and establishes high standards and accountability.) There will be a push for local superintendents and CAPE state organizations to contact their representatives in Congress during December and meet with them in January, both to develop support for an Equitable Funding amendment to the ESEA bill and find someone to sponsor the related amendment in the Senate.
The CAPE Monthly Meeting group is keeping an eye on a White House proposal to limit charitable giving tax deductions to 28% of income (instead of the current 35%). CAPE is concerned that a reduced tax incentive may reduce charitable donations to private schools.
The group is also monitoring the exclusion of private schools from the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program in the Senate bill. This program recognizes high-performing schools as well as schools showing significant improvements, and at this time it includes both public and private schools.