Honorable Jane Dee Hull
          Governor of Arizona
          1700 West Washington
          Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Dear Governor Hull:

Thank you for your letter regarding reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento            Homeless Assistance Act and for your recommendations with regard to            continued funding for schools that provide services solely to homeless            children.

As you know, the fundamental principle of this Administration's education            policy is that no child should be left behind. Districts and schools            must be held accountable for ensuring that all students, including homeless            and other disadvantaged students, meet high academic standards. To help            achieve the goals of educational excellence for all students and to            narrow the achievement gap between the rich and the poor, local communities            must have greater flexibility in using federal funds.

H.R. 1, the House Education and the Workforce Committee's comprehensive            bill for reforming America's public elementary and secondary schools,            includes reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Act. The proposed legislation            retains the basic tenets of the current Act: (1) that homeless children            and youth must have access to the same, free appropriate education,            including public preschool education, provided to other children and            youth; (2) that the barriers that homeless children and youth face in            enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school must be removed; (3)            that homelessness alone is not a sufficient reason to separate students            from the mainstream school environment; and (4) that homeless children            and youth should be provided the services they need to meet high academic            standards.

The proposed McKinney-Vento legislation as well as the current Act            expressly prohibit states that receive McKinney-Vento funds from segregating            homeless children, either in a separate school or in a separate program            within a school, based solely on their homeless status. However, the            proposed legislation would permit a state that has established a separate            school for homeless children prior to the enactment of the reauthorized            McKinney-Vento Act to remain eligible for McKinney-Vento funding. We            support these provisions.

It is not our intent to disrupt ongoing educational services by interfering            with existing schools for homeless children that have a track record            of success. At the same time, we believe it is important to provide            homeless children and youth with the services that they need in a mainstream            school environment. While the proposed legislation would give states            the flexibility to provide funds to already established schools for            homeless children, it would not relieve a state or district of its responsibilities            to remove barriers faced by homeless children and youth so they can            receive a quality education in a regular school setting.

Thank you for sharing with us your views on the reauthorization of            the McKinney-Vento Act and for your efforts to help all children in            Arizona, especially disadvantaged children, achieve academic excellence.

Sincerely,

/s/

Rod Paige

|Last Modified: 09/15/2004
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