In a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama for the 2016 fiscal budget, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III proposed a funding increase for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, according to a Friday press release from Kennedy’s office.
Kennedy, who represents parts of Boston and its suburbs, requested an increase for the organization’s funding by 5 percent from the budget for the 2016 fiscal year to help the OCR continue its work helping to ensure equal access to education.
“There are few places where vigorous enforcement of our civil rights laws matters more than in the classroom,” Kennedy said in the release. “If our nation’s schools leave behind a child today, it is far more likely that the global economy will leave behind that student tomorrow.”
Nineteen other members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined Kennedy in signing the letter, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the LGBT Equality Caucus and the Massachusetts congressional delegation.
Funding for the OCR has steadily decreased since 2012, with the number of civil rights complaints received by the OCR in the same period of time increasing by 26 percent, the release stated.
The OCR also reported the trend historically increasing for the number of complaints year-to-year while OCR staff decreases, bringing the number of complaints per staff member to 28, and a backlog of 630 pending complaints for more than 180 days, according to the Fiscal Year 2016 budget summary.
Obama presented Congress with his $3.99 trillion budget for the 2016 fiscal year Monday, which included $130.7 million in federal funding for the OCR — almost a 24 percent increase from the 2015 budget.
“The funds that President Obama has requested would increase our ability to respond to complaints of discrimination and help recipients of federal funds meet civil rights obligations,” said Dorie Turner Nolt, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education.
The OCR estimated 86 percent of the money will go toward staff pay and benefits for 754 employees, up from 544, a 1.3 percent pay raise and one additional paid day. The OCR said $2.1 million should be allocated for technical services to maintain the Civil Rights Data Collection and to assist schools with the support they need to submit accurate data, the budget summary stated.
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, who signed Kennedy’s letter to the president, said it is “crucial” that money is put toward investigating discrimination complaints and looking into all educational opportunities.
“I strongly support the important work of the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and I am pleased that the President has requested an increase in funding in order to ensure that all students, no matter their race, sex, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability status, are afforded the same opportunities as their classmates,” Lynch said in an email statement.
The OCR is responsible for ensuring that educational institutions that receive federal funding follow civil rights rules, meaning they do not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual preference or national origin, said Jack Beermann, a professor in Boston University’s School of Law.
“I am assuming they would increase enforcement about how schools deal with sexual assault complaints, which is considered a civil rights issue, and I am assuming they would increase the resources to monitor schools to make sure they respond appropriately,” he said.
Dan Black, deputy press secretary for the U.S. House of Representatives, said members of Congress will continue to fight for the funding throughout the appropriations process.
“Many of the President’s proposals have seen bipartisan support in the past, and we’re looking forward to debating the details of the budget in the coming months,” Black said in an email.
Several residents said they are hopeful for the increased funding to combat discrimination in schools, but more needs to be done.
Zach Shalginewicz, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said he hopes that with the funding, universities will be able to bring their civil rights cases to full conclusions.
“A lot of time, you hear about discrimination cases, but they disappear without being fulling investigated and are left without a solid conclusion. Hopefully with more money, they will bring the universities to face the cases and less will disappear and there can be some actual closure on cases,” he said.
Nahom Yirha, 24, of Allston, said that federal funding to monitor civil rights infractions is not enough to put an end to it.
“The culture has to change. It’s definitely better to have your voice heard than be at the back of some caseload of some overloaded person who will look at your case like it’s just another one they have to do,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s more about reeducating the culture. More can be done in other ways, but I think this is a good start.”
