On the recordMarch 14, 2011
I rise today to speak about a program designed to address the unique needs of rural schools. The Rural Education Achievement Program, or REAP, is designed to help level the playing field for small and high-poverty rural school systems. It is the only dedicated Federal funding stream to aid rural school districts in overcoming the increased expenses caused by geographic isolation. Nearly one-third of America's public schools are in rural places, and more than 21 percent of our public school students attend these schools. Students in rural America should have the same access to Federal dollars and a good education as those students who attend school in urban and suburban communities. For this reason, I worked with Senator Kent Conrad in 2001 to author the law creating the REAP program. REAP created two grant programs including the Small and Rural Schools Achievement Program, SRSA, which provides additional funding and flexibility to small rural school districts, and the Rural and Low-Income School Program, RLIS, which provides additional funding for poor rural school districts.
