Today, President Biden outlined his Fiscal Year 2022 domestic budget priorities to Congress. Included in his proposal is a $20 billion increase in Title I grants for disadvantaged students, a $2.6 billion increase for special education, and $1 billion to increase the number of counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals in schools. In response, Anna Maria Chávez, Executive Director and CEO of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), made the following statement.

“President Biden’s discretionary budget request is the welcome news that educators and students deserve after a very difficult last year.

“COVID-19 hit everyone hard, but its impact fell disproportionately on those who were already facing significant barriers to a quality education—children whose parents were front-line workers who could not work remotely from their homes, children whose homes lacked access to the reliable internet connections necessary for remote learning, and children with special needs.

“It is not until a tsunami finally recedes that we see the real destruction. In our case, we won’t be confronted with destroyed buildings and landscapes. We’ll be confronted with widened gaps in opportunity and access, learning loss, trauma, socio-emotional needs, and lives forever changed.

“I urge our elected officials in Congress to enact President Biden’s historic increases for education and ensure that our educators have the support and resources they need to help our students heal, learn, and flourish.”