Kent Conrad

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is urging U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to consider the challenges facing rural schools as the administration develops a new approach to improving the nation’s education system.

Conrad, the author of the Rural Education Achievement Program and a co-chairman of the Senate Rural Education Caucus, wrote a letter to Duncan on Tuesday that said many North Dakota education leaders are worried some of the proposed new education policies would “greatly disadvantage” smaller, rural schools.

“It is my sincere hope that the Administration will work closely with Congress to ensure that federal education policies support all schools and students, regardless of their address,” he wrote.

Conrad also said federal competitive grant requirements often put North Dakota’s most rural communities at a disadvantage, and asked Duncan to broaden the criteria to give rural schools a chance to access the funding.

Conrad’s full letter to Secretary Duncan is available on the Grand Forks Herald website if you’d like to read more.