Senator Kent Conrad on Rural Schools

This continues Mr. Rural ED's look at congressional perspectives on rural schools. The quote below is from North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad. Senator Conrad is a fifth generation North Dakotan and is the ranking member of the Budget Committee and as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. As the representative of one of the most rural states in the nation, Conrad also serves as a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

One of the most important education priorities for Senator Conrad is preserving the quality of education in North Dakota’s rural schools. Almost 80 percent of North Dakota school districts have 600 students or less. These are unique schools and the challenges for these districts are unique as well. Senator Conrad responded to these concerns by authoring legislation to create the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). This landmark, bipartisan legislation was enacted in 1999. Under the REAP program, many small, rural school districts are entitled to consolidate funding from certain federal education programs to make more efficient use of the funds. Senator Conrad's legislation is critical to giving rural schools the flexibility to use federal education funding wisely. The school districts are also eligible for grant assistance that may be used to improve student achievement or provide professional development for teachers.

In the first three years of the REAP program, more than 120 North Dakota school districts received $4 million in funding. Senator Conrad will continue to fight for adequate funding for this critical rural education program.