Administration would level-fund K-12 programs

NSBA expressed disappointment in the budget proposal. “Even though the president has proposed an increase in Title I funds, it simply shifts funds from other areas. There is no new money for discretionary programs,” said Deborah Rigsby, NSBA’s director of federal legislation. The budget, announced Feb. 5, would maintain education funding at the 2007 level of $56 billion.

The budget would maintain state grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at the 2007 level of $10.5 billion. At press time, a continuing resolution that would provide a $200 million increase in 2007 funding for IDEA was pending in the Senate.

The President’s proposed budget would also eliminate 44 programs the department calls “duplicative, narrowly focused, or unable to demonstrate effectiveness” for a savings of $2.2 billion.

The proposed funding increase of $1.2 billion for Title I would mostly be targeted to high schools and school restructuring.

The administration also requests $411.6 million to develop and implement new testing mandates in high school. Currently, only 10 percent of Title I money goes to high schools, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said, “We think it should be increased to 20 percent.”

Consistent with the Bush Administration’s blueprint for reauthorizing No Child Left Behind, the budget calls for a new $500 million Title I school improvement state grant program to support efforts aimed at turning around schools and districts that have failed to meet their adequate yearly progress goals for five or more years.

Another $300 million in Title I funds is proposed for expanding school choice and tutoring options for schools being restructured under No Child Left Behind.

This includes $250 million for vouchers -- the administration calls them “prom­ise scholarships” -- to help low-income students transfer to private schools.

It also includes $50 million to create or expand voucher programs across the nation modeled on the program in Washington, D.C., the only federally funded voucher program.

NSBA opposes vouchers. “We believe the federal focus should be on helping districts expand quality education, which means investing adequately in public schools that are open to all students and accountable to all taxpayers,” said Marc Egan, director of federal affairs. “This dead horse has been beaten enough already, and these voucher proposals are unlikely to become law.”

The budget calls for $365 million for a proposed “American Competitiveness Initiative” aimed at strengthening instruction in math, science, and critical foreign languages.

This includes $250 million for the proposed Math Now initiatives in elementary and middle schools, $90 million to expand the number of students taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, and $25 million for an adjunct teacher corps.

The budget includes $199 million to help states and districts develop performance-based financial incentives for teachers and principals.

But it would cut $100 million from the Improving Teacher Quality state grant program, which helps states ensure that all teachers are highly qualified.

Career and technical education state grants would be cut from $1.3 billion this year to $617 million in 2008.

Funding for Safe and Drug-Free Schools state grants would be cut from $525 million to $324 million.

Among the 44 programs proposed for elimination are educational technology state grants (funded this year at $273 million), Even Start ($111.6 million), state grants for innovative programs ($99.2 million), smaller learning communities ($90.4 million), and teacher quality enhancement ($60 million).