Data from the U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years, will have a powerful impact on the future of our communities and Arizona’s voice in Congress. ASBA encourages school district leaders and community members to use these resources to help better understand the impact of the Census 2020 count and inform local communities about the importance of a complete count.
Federal Funding: The Census determines the level of federal funding for programs that impact schools, students and families. About $700 billion is distributed in resources each year to states and localities for 16 programs, including Title 1 Grants, National School Lunch Program, Special Education Grants, Foster Care, Section 8, Head Start and more.
Representation in Congress: The count impacts the number of seats Arizona will hold in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Arizona has high numbers of hard-to-count groups, such as those in rural areas, on Native lands and in highly populated minority communities. This has resulted in historic undercounts of the total population. Undercounting can lead to lower levels of funding and being underrepresented in Congress.
Several factors are leading to predictions of a larger than normal undercount for Census 2020.
- This will be first digital census and not everyone has digital access.
- Leaders from immigrant and minority communities have expressed concern that fear and distrust created by the debate over inclusion of a citizenship question, which Courts now have permanently blocked from the 2020 census, will contribute to a higher than normal undercount.
- The Census will continue to include the two-part race and ethnicity question, instead of combining Hispanic origin and race question to obtain better data.
- Concerns about the confidentiality of data may also contribute to an undercount.
- There will also be fewer outreach efforts. Congress has demanded a lower cost per household than for the 2010 count. This means fewer local census offices, field staff, field presence and field tests, especially in in hard to count areas.
The U.S. Census has provided templates for schools to use for important messages to be sent to families.
The ASBA Board of Directors recently passed a resolution supporting a complete count in the Decennial U.S. 2020 Census. We feel it’s important to inform our member school districts and other leaders within the education community about the critical importance of a complete count and activities, process and timeline for the 2020 U.S. Census, and work in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as organizations focused on traditionally undercounted communities to explore other activities and maximize opportunities to ensure a complete count.
NEW INFO POSTED!
Census Bureau Official 2020 Census Website
Census funding for Arizona
Counting for Dollars 2020: The Role of the Decennial Census in the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds
2020 Census Research, Operational Plans, and Oversight
Promotional Materials and Guidelines
2020 Census Questionnaire
Preview of the 2020 Census Video Language Guide – YouTube
2020 Census Infogram
Recording: Census Webinar
PowerPoint: Census Webinar – PDF
Video: What is the 2020 Census?
SCOTUS Hearing on 2020 Census Citizenship Question
Democracy at Risk: The State of 2020 Census and Latinos
Update from Arturo Vargas on Possible Addition of Citizenship Question to 2020 Census
2020 Census-Ensuring an Accurate Count of the Nation’s Latinos