President's education budget comes up short

02/24/04 -- President Bush's 2005 budget proposal includes a $1 billion increase for Title I and a $1 billion increase for special education -- far below what is needed to meet school districts' needs. The budget would cut or eliminate funding for many other education programs.

NSBA has been pushing for annual increases of $2.5 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as part of a gradual plan for the federal government to fully meet its commitment to pay for 40 percent of the costs of educating students with disabilities.

Under the President's proposed budget, Title I would be funded at $13.3 billion. That is far below the $20 billion authorized by Congress for fiscal year 2005 when the No Child Left Behind Act was passed.

These shortfalls mean school districts and states will have to make up the difference to pay for federally mandated educational services.

While the Administration is touting the 3 percent increase in its proposals for the U.S. Education Department -- an overall increase of $1.7 billion -- this would amount to the lowest percentage increase for education in nine years.

In addition, documents prepared by the federal Office of Management and Budget, which were not released with the proposed budget for fiscal 2005, indicate that several domestic programs, including Title I, would be cut in subsequent years to reduce the federal deficit.

The President's budget for 2005 would eliminate 38 education programs with funding totaling $1.4 billion.

Among them would be the $247 million Even Start program, the $233.6 million comprehensive school reform program, the $174 million smaller learning communities program, and the $107 million tech-prep education state grant program.

Nearly 80 programs would be frozen at 2004 levels. These include Improving Teacher Quality state grants, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, impact aid, and the rural education program.

In addition to the increases for Title I and IDEA, the President proposes a $139 million increase (12.4 percent) for Reading First, an increase of nearly $63 million (over 168 percent) for charter school facilities, and a $19.5 million increase (nearly 12 percent) for research development and dissemination.

The budget would include $50 million for a proposed Choice Incentive Fund.

Several new education initiatives are included in the President's budget as part of a proposed $288 million Jobs for the 21st Century initiative. These include:

• $100 million for a Striving Readers program to improve literacy among secondary school students;

• $120 million for a Secondary Education Mathematics initiative to improve the skills of secondary school math teachers to teach poorly performing students;

• $40 million for an Adjunct Teacher Corps to encourage professionals from business, technology, and industry to teach in secondary schools; and

• $28 million to expand the pool of teachers who can teach Advanced Placement courses in schools serving large populations of low-income students.