{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-rescues-shine-funding-in-education-bill", "Barletta Rescues SHINE Funding in Education Bill", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Lou Barletta", "B001269", "barletta.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Barletta (right) and Sen. Yudichak read The Night Before Christmas \nto children in the SHINE program at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Wilkes-Barre in November.\n\nWASHINGTON  Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today supported the final version of the Student Success Act, which replaces No Child Left Behind, and importantly rescues federal funding for afterschool programs such as SHINE, originally slated to be eliminated before Barletta intervened. SHINE, or Schools and Homes In Education, is a successful educational program in Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill Counties that Barletta has championed with state Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne/Carbon). By restoring the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, Barletta has preserved a funding stream that accounts for 49 percent of SHINEs total funding.\nThe bill, the Conference Report to Accompany S. 1177, was negotiated by House and Senate conferees and supplants No Child Left Behind, returning many educational decisions to states and localities. The House passed the conference report by a massive bipartisan vote of 359-to-64. After it passes the Senate, which is expected, it will be presented to the president for his signature.\nThis is a banner day for the school children of northeastern Pennsylvania, Barletta said. We know that SHINE has touched so many families and given kids educational opportunities they otherwise wouldnt have had. SHINE is an alternative to kids getting in trouble, or worse yet, joining gangs. And I am proud to have saved the program that supports school children who need it the most.\nBeginning in February 2015, Barletta began painstakingly working to restore the 21st CCLC program. The original House version of the bill eliminated the program; however, Barletta negotiated 14 changes to the base text of the bill in support of afterschool programs, and specifically the SHINE model, in the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He also engaged in a colloquy with committee Chairman John Kline (MN-2) to establish a record of support for such programs. On the floor of the House, Barletta spoke in support of his own successful amendment that requires school districts to report to state agencies on the use of Title I money for afterschool activities to further demonstrate the importance of such programs. Finally, when the legislation reached the conference committee, Barletta sent a letter to lead House and Senate negotiators imploring them to preserve the 21st CCLC program. As a result, the conference report passed by the House today authorizes $1 billion in funding for the 21st CCLC program. \nBarletta and Yudichak have worked to promote the SHINE afterschool program, which is flourishing in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties and is now in its first year in Luzerne County, to improve academic achievement, increase school attendance, and engage families in education. The SHINE program focuses on project-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activitiesfor students in kindergarten through eighth grade.\nThe potential of SHINE Luzerne County to transform our schools and our communities continues to be strengthened by the commitment of public and private dollars to the program, said Sen. Yudichak. Congressman Barlettas unwavering support for the SHINE program is exemplified by his successful fight in Congress to secure federal funds for the children of northeastern Pennsylvania.\n\n\nClick here or on image to watch Rep. Barletta promote SHINE on House floor.\nPreserving 21st Century Community Learning Centers as a dedicated funding stream means millions of students and families will benefit from the quality afterschool and summer learning programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families, said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. This is a huge and much-needed win for Americas children and families. We are very grateful to Representative Barletta, who has been a consistent champion for high quality afterschool programming.\nReplacing No Child Left Behind\nThe Student Success Act is a reauthorization and dramatic improvement of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which replaces what was known during the Bush Administration as No Child Left Behind. The legislation reduces the federal role in education, includes unprecedented restrictions on the Secretary of Educations authority, and prevents the federal government from requiring states to adopt the Common Core curriculum. It restores state and local control by allowing states to opt out of federal education programs, protecting states abilities to control their own standards and assessments, and providing school districts with more funding flexibility. The Student Success Act empowers parents by preventing federal interference with private and home schools, promoting school choice by strengthening charter and magnet schools, and allowing funds in eligible school districts to follow students to the schools they actually attend.\nThis bipartisan bill will end the unworkable, one-size-fits all No Child Left Behind Act and give control of our kids education back to our states, local school districts, teachers, and parents, Barletta said. I have always believed that educational decisions are best left to the people who are closest to the students, and that means moving power out of Washington, DC and back into our own communities.\nThe legislation enjoys wide support from education advocacy groups and other organizations, including the National Governors Association, which has not endorsed legislation of any kind since 1996. Others groups in support include: the Afterschool Alliance, Council of Chief State School Officers, National PTA, American Federation of Teachers, National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS), Magnet Schools of America, Council for American Private Education, National School Boards Association, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, The Schools Superintendents Association, National Education Association, National Catholic Educational Association, Business Roundtable, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, ACT, Committee on Catholic Education, National Conference of State Legislatures, Association of Christian Schools International, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Agudath Israel of America, Chiefs for Change, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Federation of School Administrators.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-rescues-shine-funding-in-education-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8471440523862839, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}