High School Student Takes Advocacy to Washington, D.C., Championing Rural Students Nationwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 25, 2024


***NEWS RELEASE***

**High School Student Takes Advocacy to Washington, D.C., Championing Rural Students Nationwide**


Bode Gower from Ukiah High School Headed to the Nation’s Capitol to Amplify the Voices of Rural Communities in Education with Mendocino County Supervisor-elect Madeline Cline

Ukiah, California - Bode Gower, an incoming senior at Ukiah High School, traveled to Washington, D.C., with Mendocino County Supervisor-elect Madeline Cline. This trip was organized with the support of the Trinity Alps Unified School District, the National Association of Counties (NACo), and various other donations. Bode Gower, Founder and Chair of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, a youth advocacy group for rural youth across Northern California, and Supervisor-elect Cline advocated on behalf of over 4,400 school districts nationwide through the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act and the IDEA Full Funding Act.

The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act provides critical funding for educational services in more than 700 rural counties, preventing the closure of remote schools serving small communities and layoffs of school staff and other public service workers. When Congress last failed to reauthorize SRS, funding for a rural school district dropped by over 620%. The IDEA Full Funding Act supports over 7 million disabled children across the country. The persistent lack of federal funding for IDEA places an extra financial burden on states, local school districts, taxpayers, and families, who must cover essential services and beneficial school programs for students with disabilities.

Bode and Madeline met with nearly twenty-five members of Congress and their staff, urging their support for SRS and IDEA. They engaged with members of the California congressional delegation, including Senators Padilla and Butler, Congressman Huffman, and Congressman LaMalfa. During these meetings, Bode and Madeline emphasized these bills' importance for student success nationwide.

“I am extremely proud of Bode for their efforts to gain momentum for these bills that support every school district across the nation. Bode’s kind and relentless approach moved lawmakers, as I found in my conversations with them. I applaud Bode and look forward to working with him until we get these essential bills passed, giving educators across this nation the tools they need to ensure success for all students,” said Superintendent of the Trinity Alps Unified School District, Jaime Green.

Speaking about the bills’ significance, Bode said, “Both of these bills profoundly impact rural communities and students, who make up 1 in 4 public school students nationwide. I urge Congress to pass both SRS and IDEA to ensure rural schools have the necessary funding to provide students with a quality education.”

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