By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers. … The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”
An extremely important event takes place in 2020. As indicated above, our United States Constitution requires that all people who live in the United States are counted once every 10 years. And while the United States Census has recently been a subject of political debate, my intention with this column is stay far afield from those discussions. Instead, I intend to illustrate the extremely important implications that the United States Census holds for education.
Many are surprised when they learn that the Census is the primary tool used for determining the amount of federal assistance that schools receive. Federal programs that significantly support programming in Brown County Schools include the title grants (Title I, Title II, Title III and Title IV), the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and special education grants.
Other federal funding distributions that directly affect the families we serve include assistance programs for low-income families including the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and foster care assistance.
A public relations campaign titled “Every Hoosier Child Counts” is attempting to increase awareness to our citizenry that participation in the Census is not just a civic responsibility. The implications for a successful count are substantial. There’s approximately $160 billion in federal funding that directly supports the children of our nation. In 2019, Indiana will receive nearly $18 billion of that total, with approximately $1 billion distributed for K-12 programs like those I listed above. It is estimated that Indiana will lose $10,000 for every person missed in the upcoming Census.
The United States Census impacts several key governmental processes that indirectly impact education. First, the population of every state determines how many representatives each state is apportioned in the United States House of Representatives. If all Hoosiers aren’t counted, we may not receive the total number of seats in the House that we are due.
Additionally, not only are the number of House seats apportioned, the actual congressional and state legislative districts are drawn using the Census data. A quality count that captures an accurate representation of our communities will assist in the formulation of fairly drawn boundaries of an electoral constituency. I’ll leave the issue of gerrymandering for another column!
While April 1 is the official Census Day, forms inviting participation will be mailed to households in mid- to late March. There are three options for responding: online, by phone and by mail.
The Census should include everyone who is living in your home as of April 1, 2020. We have many families and students who are living in “doubled-up” circumstances where they may be living in a home that belongs to friends or family. Please be sure to count any children who are living with you in your home including foster children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and the children of friends (even if they are living with you temporarily). In cases of a split family circumstance, the child should be counted in the home where they are living on April 1, 2020.
There is a website filled with comprehensive Census information located at 2020census.gov and Indiana-specific information can be found at census.indiana.edu/ccc/state.html.
The United States Census has broad implications for education and beyond. Thank you for doing your civic duty this year to ensure that Brown County is represented accurately.
Happy New (Census) Year!
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
