Senate Committee Approves Education Funding

When the Senate reconvenes on September 8, a myriad of spending bills await, including the largest which includes funding for the Department of Education. On July 30, the Senate Committee on Appropriations sent the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill to the floor of the Senate.

Below are select programs included in the bill. All figures are rounded.

OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Education for the Disadvantaged
School Improvement Grants:
$546 million, plus $30 million for Gulf Coast Recovery Grants
Up 5.4 percent, or $30 million above the FY 2009 funding level.
Down 63 percent, or $970 million below the Administration’s request.

Title I Early Childhood Grants:
No funding provided
$500 million below the Administration’s request.

Early Learning Fund:
No funding provided
$300 million below the Administration’s request.

School Improvement Programs
State Grants for Improving Teacher Quality:
$2.95 billion
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP):
The committee endorsed the Administration’s request of $179 million for the Department of Education’s Math and Science Partnerships (MSP) program, which is also the FY 2009 funding level. The House approved a $5 million increase for the MSP program, raising the FY 2010 budget to approximately $184 million. If the full Senate were to approve an identical increase, it would be the first budget increase for the program since 2006.

Educational Technology State Grants:
$100 million
Down 63 percent, or $170 million below the FY 2009 funding level
Equal to the Administration’s request.

21st century community Learning Centers:
$1.131 billion
Equal to the the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

State Assessments:
$411 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

OFFICES OF INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT

Innovation and Improvement
Magnet School Assistance:
$105 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

Teacher Incentive Fund:
$300 million
Up 208 percent, or $203 million above the FY 2009 funding level
Down 38 percent, or $187.27 million below the Administration’s request.

OFFICE OF POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

Higher Education
Minority Science and Engineering Improvement:
$9 million
Up 5 percent, or $429,000 million above the FY 2009 funding level.
Equal to the Administration’s request.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need:
$31 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

Teacher Quality Partnerships:
$48 million
Down 4 percent, or $2 million below the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

Baccalaureate STEM and Foreign Language Teacher Training Program:
$1 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

Master’s STEM and Foreign Language Teacher Training Program:
$1 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level, and the Administration’s request.

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Institute of Education Sciences
Research, Development, Dissemination:
$211 million
Up 26 percent, or $44 million above the FY 2009 funding level
Down 6 percent, or $13 million below the Administration’s request.

Statistics:
$109 million
Up 10 percent, or $10 million above the FY 2009 funding level and same as the Administration’s request.

Regional Education Laboratories:
$70.7 million
Up 4 percent, or $3.08 million above the FY 2009 funding level and the Administration’s request.

Assessments:
$139 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level and the Administration’s request.

Statewide Data Systems:
$65 million
Equal to the FY 2009 funding level and the Administration’s request.