Final FY 2003 Appropriations: Science Education Programs
Below, information is provided on the final FY 2003 appropriations for science education programs within the Department of Education, and within the National Science Foundation. It is of note that the Mathematics and Science Partnership program within the Education Department received $100.4 million for fiscal year 2003. This program was authorized at $450 million but only received minimal funding of $12.5 million in FY 2002. The FY 2003 appropriation represents an increase of over 700 percent, surpassing the threshold of $100 million needed to ensure that funding reaches all states. The complementary Math and Science Partnership program within NSF received $126.7 million, a decrease of 20.8 percent from the FY 2002 level.
As indicated in previous FYIs, the numbers provided in the final conference report, House Report 108-10, were then reduced by rescissions made elsewhere in the report. When possible, an attempt has been made to take rescissions into account when presenting the numbers below. When rescissions are not accounted for, it is so noted. Some explanatory quotes from the report language are also provided.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
The IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY budget increases $80.0 million, or 2.8 percent, from $2.85 billion in FY 2002 to $2.93 billion in FY 2003. Of the FY 2003 appropriation, $1.15 billion “is provided as a fiscal year 2004 advance.” This program funds state grants for teacher development in all fields, including science and math.
The MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS budget increases $87.9 million, or 703.2 percent, from $12.5 million in FY 2002 to $100.4 million in FY 2003.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION:
The entire EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES budget for NSF increases $8.9 million, or 1.0 percent, from $894.3 million in FY 2002 to $903.2 million in FY 2003.
Below, quotes from H. Rpt. 108-10 are provided for the programs within the Education and Human Resources budget. These quotes do not take rescissions into account; all amounts below are subject to a reduction of 0.65 percent:
MATH AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS: "$127,500,000 for the Math and Science Partnership program. The Foundation is strongly urged to provide regular, detailed information to the Committees on Appropriations regarding the planning and execution of this initiative.”
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REFORM: "$40,250,000 for Educational System Reform.”
EPSCoR: "$90,000,000 for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program.”
ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY, AND INFORMAL EDUCATION: "$177,440,000 for Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education. Within this level of funding, $61,000,000 has been provided for the Informal Science program, an increase of $6,000,000 above the budget request.”
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: "$160,600,000 for Undergraduate Education. Of the amount appropriated herein, $43,160,000 has been provided for the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, $22,000,000 is for the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP), and $7,000,000 is for the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program. These funding levels represent increases above the budget submission of $5,000,000, $20,000,000 and $3,000,000, respectively.”
GRADUATE EDUCATION: "$140,880,000 for Graduate Education. The conferees have provided an increase of $12,500,000 above the budget request to increase graduate level stipends for the research and teaching fellowship programs and the trainee program administered by the Foundation through its Graduate Education program. The conferees support increasing the graduate stipend level to $27,500 during fiscal year 2003 as the first of what is expected to be a two-year process to reach a stipend level of $30,000.”
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: "$105,210,000 for Human Resource Development. Within this funding level, $31,530,000 is provided for the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, an increase of $5,000,000 above the budget request. In addition, $18,900,000, an increase of $5,000,000 above the request, has been provided for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduates Program (HBCU-UP). The conference agreement additionally provides for an increase of $5,000,000 for the HBCU Research University Science and Technology (THRUST) initiative within the Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program. While the conferees agree that eligibility for THRUST should not exclude CREST recipients, NSF is directed to first use fiscal year 2003 program funds to fully fund multi-year awards to recipients of THRUST awards in the program’s first year.”
RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND COMMUNICATION: "$67,200,000 for Research, Evaluation and Communication.”