A C T I O N A L E R T

Federal Budget – FY’07

ISSUE: As Congress begins to establish target figures for the FY’07 federal education spending for Fiscal Year 2007 (for the 2007-2008 school year), several programs used by nonpublic school students are at risk for limited funding or total elimination. They are Title II D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (proposed to be eliminated completely for FY’07 after being reduced by 50% in FY’06); Title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools (proposed to be eliminated completely for FY’07 after being reduced by 25% in FY’06); and Title V-A, Innovative Programs (frozen at the FY’06 level after being cut by 50% from FY’05 to FY’06).

OUR

POSITION: The New Jersey Catholic Conference and the New Jersey Network of Catholic School Families support the restoration of these reductions or eliminations in order to retain the effects of these current programs at the federal level.

ACTION: Call, e-mail, or fax the offices of your Congressional representatives (Senators Lautenberg and Menendez and your representative) and indicate the serious effects that these program reductions/eliminations would have on BOTH public and nonpublic school children. Ask that the following funding levels be retained for the appropriate programs:

Title II-D at $496M (the FY’05 funding level).

Title IV at no less than $400M.

Title V-A at no less than $296.5M (the FY’04 funding level).

PLEASE USE THE ATTACHED TALKING POINTS AND LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION FOR THIS ALERT. VISITS WITH THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND KEY STAFFERS WOULD BE USEFUL. KEEP UP THE CONTACTS WITH THESE OFFICES PERIODICALLY OVER THE NEXT 4-6 WEEKS.

Representing the Archdiocese of Newark, Diocese of Camden, Diocese of Metuchen,

Diocese of Paterson, Diocese of Trenton, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and

Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese