Click here to join the subscription list (click "Subscribe to our mailing list" on the right side of the page) for "CQ Engage" to be updated on important updates and advocacy opportunities for ESEA.

The start of the 114th Congress in January offers a new and promising opportunity to get ESEA improved and reauthorized. The House and Senate are both expected to reintroduce bills to reauthorize ESEA as early as late January and early February. We will be working with our other partners to ensure that the proposed bills include provisions which improve equitable participation, including technical fixes for the issue of "set asides" being taken off the top prior to calculation of our equitable participation

As part of our advocacy in support of ESEA Reauthorization, we propose two rounds of Hill visits. These visits will be coordinated with National Catholic School's week and will involve Congressional meetings on Thursday, January 29, 2015 and will follow the Congressional School Choice Caucus event scheduled for Wednesday, January 28th.  Round 2 of Congressional visits will take place on Thursday, February 12, 2015, and will involve Superintendents, Government Programs Directors and Directors and Education contacts at State Catholic Conferences from key Congressional districts which have a high concentration of Title I services and where set asides have the most significant impact.

As you know, any good advocacy requires a collective and coordinated response from the national and local Catholic education community. We would like to coordinate both rounds of Hill visits with support at the local level in the form of letters from schools, board members and parents.  

Issue:      The ceiling for nonpublic school transportation, currently at $884.00 per pupil, has not been increased since the 2008-2009 school year.   As a result, nonpublic school students are losing

transportation services because of the costs incurred by districts and private contractors.

Action:     Please call, email, or write Governor Christie on a continuing basis between now and the release of his Budget in February to ask for this increase.  Please keep the following points in mind:

1.   Public school students living within the designated mileage limits are never denied a ride to school of enrollment.

2.    Nonpublic school students are dependent upon the bids submitted by public school districts and private contractors which do not exceed the $884.00 per pupil limit.

3.    In contacting Governor Christie's Office, please describe in detail your own stories with respect to nonpublic school transportation.

4.    Be courteous but firm in your request for this most important health and safety issue.

5.    A question and answer document is included with the Alert. Please feel free to use it as needed.

You may contact Governor Christie's office as follows:

Email the Governor http://nj.gov/governor/contact

Call the Governor's office at 609-292-6000

You may send a simplified message through the NJCC Advocacy Network at: https://votervoice.net/NJCC/Campaigns/37671/Respond

This assisted care non-profit senior center is looking for student volunteers to assist with activities on weekdays between 3 and 4:30 p.m. Click here for details.

The Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden is open and we are looking for committed and talented volunteers.  If you have a desire to work with children after school and/or weekends, we can use your help.  Most volunteer opportunities start at age 16. Volunteers in the Visual & Performing Arts program start at age 14.  For more information, contact Dawn M. Garlic, Volunteer Services Manager at  (856) 379-4861 or email [email protected].org.