The US Department of Education requested its FY2013 budget earlier this month; the key themes for funding are increasing college affordability/quality, “raising up” the teaching profession, aligning job training with workforce demands, and continuing reform. The request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies for the next ten years, but specifically asks for FY 2013 funding levels for programs subject to the appropriations process.
Overall, the administration is asking for an overall education funding increase of $1.7 billion ($69.8 billion, up from $68.1 billion in FY 2012). If approved, the Department of Education would receive the largest increase, in absolute terms, in discretionary funding over other non-national security agencies. Programs like Race to the Top, Work-Study grants, and the Teacher Incentive Fund would receive moderate increases, while Title 1, IDEA Part B grants, and Pell Grants would be funded at 2012 levels.
The budget is further broken down thus:
–Early Education: $1.2 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers program
–ESEA Title 1: $14.5 billion for Part A (same as 2012). There is also a proposal to change the name of Part A to “College- and Career-Ready Students” and include how schools are assessed under the program. Title 1 School Improvement Grants (SIG) would receive $534 million (equal to 2012).
–Special Education: IDEA Part B would get $11.6 billion to distribute in grants, the 2012 level.
–Competitive Grant Programs: $850 million for Race to the Top, which includes both the K-12 and Early Learning Challenge components. Another $150 million for Investing in Innovation grants, and $100 million for the Promise Neighborhoods program.
–School Choice: $255 million for the Expanding Education Options program, and $81 million for the College Pathways and Accelerated Learning program.
–The Teaching Profession: $187 million for the Effective Teaching and Learning: Literacy program, which combines several existing literacy programs under one umbrella (such as Striving Readers). $150 million for the Effective Teaching and Learning: STEM program; and $90 million for the Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education program for subjects other than literacy and STEM. Also, $2.5 billion for an Effective Teachers and Leaders State Grants program, $400 million for a new Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund (previously the Teacher Incentive Fund), and $75 million for a new Teacher and Leader Pathways program.
Requests have also been made for higher education, student loans, and Pell Grants. For a detailed explanation and analysis of the entire budget request, check out the New America Foundation’s Issue Brief here. (http://edmoney.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/Summary%20and%20Analysis%202013%20FINAL.pdf)
To view the budget proposal in its entirety, please visit http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget13/index.html
