Message to All 50 State QZAB Directors re: QZAB Extension

January, 23, 2017

Dear State QZAB Director,

In view of the new Administration’s stated goal of cutting $20 billion from public education, we had several discussions with the Congress since the election about preserving and extending the QZAB. Congress is willing to do so if you will:

  1. Do everything possible to increase your efforts to help LEAs deploy all the available QZAB funds—we will be glad to assist any of your LEAs with all aspects of QZAB
  2. Ensure that the QZAB match meets the 3 IRS requirements- relevant to the QZAB Academy, documented to be below fair market value, no use of discounts (include this in your QZAB application as many state have already done)
  3. Ensure that the QZAB academy is a new one with an education plan showing how the LEA and the business/nonprofit partner will document student performance improvements to “prepare students better for college and workforce.” (include this in your QZAB application as many state have already done)

To help the QZAB Extension, NEF has agreed to:

  1. Consider setting aside $40 million for providing QZAB Match contribution (donation) for eligible LEAs in the nation
  2. Bring the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest university in the U.S., to help set up and monitor weekly a world-class QZAB STEM+ Acadmy that guarantees:
    1. K-8 Students: at least 70% of K-8 students would advance a grade level in math during the school year if the students actively work on our program for 75 minutes a week for 36 weeks; same for reading
    2. High School/Career Tech students: Every student will have an opportunity to earn SUNY college credits for a low fee of less than $60 per credit hour (vs $680 regular fee), with a 90% subsidy

Thus, we are doing everything possible to get the QZAB extended, and most-importantly to ““prepare students better for college and workforce,”—our MISSION, as the national nonprofit leader in QZAB and STEM education.

Congress is considering excluding states that use less than 50% of their 2015 and 2016 QZAB allocations. So, please do all you can to give out your QZAB allocations to your LEAs ASAP.

Please feel free to call me or ask your LEAs to call me at 703-823-9999 or email me at qzab@qzab.org for any assistance re: QZAB. We wish you a very successful 2017 in terms of helping your LEAs and students via QZAB and QZAB Academy.

PS. See a message re: QZAB Academy I received last week:

“The Steubenville City Schools (SCS) QZAB STEM+ Academy, through a partnership with NEF and SUNY, has created a model program that provides 21st century skills for our students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), reading, career tech, IT, business and test prep. The Academy helps students build the skills they need to succeed in college and the highly competitive 21st-century workforce. Using our QZAB funds, at no out-out-of-pocket cost, we were able to provide an improved learning environment, and a world-class STEM+ academy that helped to take our students from the bottom 50 % to the top 30% in Ohio state test scores, while improving the attendance rates and enthusiasm levels of our students. In addition, our students can earn college credits inexpensively from SUNY.”– Dr. Shana M. Wydra, Director of STEM Education, Steubenville City Schools, Ohio swydra@scsohio.org (740) 284-5613

Dr. Appu Kuttan
Founder and Chairman
National Education Foundation (NEF), founded in 1989
U.S. Non-profit Leader in QZAB and STEM

January 21, 2017 | |