Secretary Miguel Cardona Announces 2024 Back to School Bus Tour

Secretary Miguel Cardona Announces 2024 Back to School Bus Tour

Secretary Cardona to be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Under Secretary James Kvaal, and local students, families, and educators

August 21, 2024

Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, [email protected]

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will launch the 2024 Back to School Bus Tour from Sept. 3 to Sept. 6. The week-long, multi-state road trip will showcase the many ways schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student achievement and raising the bar in public education with investments and other support from the Biden-Harris Administration.

The Back to School Bus Tour will feature stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This year's theme, "Fighting for Public Education," highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris administration's historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based and promising and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success, to support students of all ages and backgrounds. The 2024 bus tour will celebrate public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation's success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector.

"This year's Back to School Bus Tour will remind the American people why the Biden-Harris Administration has unapologetically fought for public education, the foundation of opportunity in this country, and the contrast between our efforts and those who wish to destroy public education" said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "I cannot wait to hit the road and meet with students, parents, educators, and school leaders who are using the Biden-Harris Administration's historic investments in public education to Raise the Bar for students at every stage of their academic journeys. I'm looking forward to lifting up what's working in public education and celebrating the exciting work taking place in our schools and communities to ensure that all students, no matter their race, place, or background, have opportunities to succeed and contribute to our country."

Secretary Cardona will kick off the tour in Wisconsin, where he will uplift the tools the Biden-Harris Administration has used - including accountability, grants, and technical assistance - to accelerate academic recovery, preserve and support native languages, and ensure high-quality public education in our underserved communities, including our rural and urban communities, for the whole child.

On day two, Secretary Cardona will continue in Wisconsin and then travel to Illinois and Indiana where he will highlight the Administration's efforts to promote the critical importance of regular student attendance in partnership with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, expand Career and Technical Education for adult learners, and expand access to local community colleges. He will be joined by White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen for some of the stops.

Later in the week, Secretary Cardona will be in Michigan where he will hear from borrowers who benefitted from debt relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, highlight the U.S. Department of Education's (Department) efforts to support high-quality teacher recruitment and retention programs, and amplify the Department's role in supporting public schools on the frontlines of the youth mental health crisis. He will be joined by National Education Association (NEA) Becky Pringle.

The tour will end in Pennsylvania, where he will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to highlight the critical role of full-service community schools, serving the whole child, in ensuring food security in communities, offering mental health supports for communities, and improving opportunities and outcomes for students The tour will end with a back-to-school Community Block Party.

Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, and Under Secretary James Kvaal will join national, state, and local education leaders to speak with students, parents, and educators at events that celebrate the back-to-school season and underscore the Administration's commitment to helping students and communities recover from the impacts of the pandemic by improving academic achievement and succeed from cradle to college and career.

Preliminary details about bus tour activities are listed below. Additional information and exact timing for each site will be released the day prior to the tour stop. Many of the events will include a press availability with Secretary Cardona and local leaders.

To RSVP for stops on the tour, please email [email protected]. Follow the bus tour on social media at #EdBusTour24.

DAY 1

EVENT 1: Bus Tour Kick Off
WHEN: Tuesday morning, Sept. 3
WHERE: Green Bay, Wisconsin

EVENT 2: Tribal School and Multilingualism
WHEN: Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 3
WHERE: Green Bay, Wisconsin

EVENT 3: Rural Education
WHEN: Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 3
WHERE: Madison, Wisconsin

DAY 2

EVENT 1: Academic Recovery
WHEN: Wednesday morning, Sept. 4
WHERE: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NOTE: White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and CDC Director Mandy Cohen will join.

EVENT 2: Career and Technical Program for Adult Learners
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 4
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois
NOTE: White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden will join.

EVENT 3: Public Service Loan Forgiveness
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 4
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois

EVENT 4: Community College
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 4
WHERE: La Porte, Indiana

DAY 3

EVENT 1: Public Service Loan Forgiveness
WHEN: Thursday morning, Sept. 5
WHERE: Grand Rapids, Michigan
NOTE: NEA President Becky Pringle will join.

EVENT 2: Teacher Support
WHEN: Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5
WHERE: Lansing, Michigan

EVENT 3: Mental Health
WHEN: Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5
WHERE: Detroit, Michigan

DAY 4

EVENT 1: Full-Service Community School
WHEN: Friday morning, Sept. 6
WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NOTE: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will join.

EVENT 2: Teacher Support
WHEN: Friday morning, Sept. 6
WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

EVENT 3: End of Bus Tour Block Party
WHEN: Friday afternoon, Sept. 6
WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Biden-Harris Administration Actions to Prepare for a Safe and Successful School Year

Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken bold action to get schools back open safely amidst a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and provide states, school districts, and colleges and universities the resources they need to help students recover academically and thrive.

When President Biden took office, less than half of K-12 schools were open for in-person learning. Within three months, President Biden had signed the historic American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, providing $170 billion in funds for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to reopen safely, stay open, and put students on the pathway to recovery and success. Over the last two years, schools have invested billions of ARP dollars to help students catch up academically, expanded access to school-based mental health supports, and hired more high-quality educators, and today, and we continue to focus on accelerating academic achievement for all students.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has invested over $357 billion to strengthen education across America, including:

• Securing the largest investment in public education in history to help students get back to school and recover academically: To support the immediate response and the long-term recovery work our students need, the President secured $130 billion through the ARP to help schools safely reopen, stay open, and address the academic and mental health needs of students.
• Expanding access to mental health support in schools across the country: Last year, the President signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law last year. BSCA included historic levels of funding to address youth mental health, including $2 billion for the Department to create safe, inclusive learning environments for students and hire and train more mental health professionals for schools - where students are most likely to receive these crucial services. The Department has awarded $286 million to date across 264 grantees in 48 states and DC to support mental health services in schools - investments that are estimated to support more than 14,000 new mental health professionals in schools in the coming years. The Department is also working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to further extend the reach of federal mental health programs and investments into schools, and to leverage Medicaid funding to provide crucial health and mental health services at schools.
• Expanding community schools that improve academic success: Meeting the needs of the whole child is essential to help America's students grow academically and improve their well-being. That's why the President is committed to increasing and supporting the adoption of community school models across the country. While the program supported 170 schools before 2021 it is now reaching more than 1,700 schools serving almost 800,000 students.
• Launched the National Partnership for Student Success. Through NPSS, the Department and its partners are leading strategic efforts to recruit 250,000 new tutors and mentors to help catch up academically and thrive.
• Growing an effective teacher and school leadership workforce: From February to May 2020, communities lost 730,000 local public education jobs during the pandemic-a 9 percent decline in local public education employment-including teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, and other critical staff. While teacher shortages persist, as of February 2024 there are now more individuals working in local public schools than before the pandemic. As of June 2023, local public education employment has increased by 635,000 jobs since its low point in May 2020

Directing resources to historically underserved schools and students: The President has secured a nearly $2 billion (or 11%) increase in Title I funds, which delivers critical resources to 90 percent of school districts across the nation and helps them provide students in low-income communities with necessary academic opportunities and supports. Additionally, the President has secured a historic $1.3 billion (or 10%) increase in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funds, which helps states support special education instruction and services for 7.4 million students with disabilities, and increased funding by $92 million for programs that support English learners. The Administration has also increased funding to support subpopulations of students, including Alaska Native Education and Native Hawaiian Education programs which have increased by over 20%.

• Tags: Press Releases