After a nearly two-year lapse, Congress has approved renewing funding for schools in places historically dependent on timber harvests.
The measure, which passed the House last week, restores the Secure Rural Schools program. It provides payments to rural counties, often with lots of national forest land, to replace lost revenue from declining timber production.
Some counties use the money for search and rescue or road maintenance. In Colorado’s Routt County, home to Steamboat Springs, 100% of the allocation goes to school districts, according to Sonja Macys, a county commissioner.
“Programs like this are extremely important to making sure rural areas aren’t left behind,” she said.
Congress created the Secure Rural Schools program in 2000. It requires periodic reauthorization to continue, and the current bill only extends its life through fiscal year 2026.
After Congress let the funding lapse two years ago, counties received payments according to a much older formula. The National Association of Counties estimated an average 63% decline in funding to counties.
The Center for American Progress estimated a loss of more than $200 million. In the Mountain West, Idaho and Montana were hit hardest, followed by New Mexico and Arizona.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) said the gap had a big impact in his district.
“School districts had to consider laying off teachers, reading specialists and cutting back to a four-day school week,” he said during floor debate on the bill.
Although the program enjoys bipartisan support, it took pressure from more than 80 lawmakers earlier this month to bring it to the House floor. The bill passed overwhelmingly, with just five votes opposed, and now heads to President Trump’s desk.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
