Weekly Legislative Highlights: February 11 through February 15, 2008
*ESEA/NCLB Reauthorization Update
*FY 2009 Education Funding
*Economic Stimulus Package
*House passes Higher Education Act reauthorization
*ESEA/NCLB Reauthorization Update
Recent meetings with congressional committee staffs indicate that both House and Senate committee bills to reauthorize ESEA/NCLB could be introduced in early March before the Spring Recess. Please contact your representatives on the House Committee on Education and Labor and request that they co-sponsor H.R. 648, and ensure that the provisions in H.R. 648 are contained in the House committee bill. We now have 26 bi-partisan co-sponsors. If your representative is not on the committee, you should encourage him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 648 and to send a letter to Rep. George Miller (D-CA-7), Chairman of the House Committee, indicating his/her strong desire to have ESEA/NCLB reauthorized and enacted this year before the 110th Congress adjourns.
If your school district has not passed a resolution endorsing H.R. 648 and urging your members of Congress to cosponsor the bill, please consider doing so and joining nearly 700 school boards across the country that have passed such resolutions. For a sample resolution and the list of school districts, visit www.nsba.org/nclbcampaign.
*FY 2009 Education Funding
President Bush released his fiscal year 2009 budget request to Congress last week. The budget proposal of $3 trillion would keep the overall funding level for discretionary grant programs within the U.S. Department of Education at $59.2 billion – approximately the same level as FY08. Under the President’s budget, Title I grants for disadvantaged students would be increased by $406 million over the current funding level of $13.89 billion. Special education (IDEA-Part B grants) would be increased by $337 million over the current funding level of $10.9 billion. The proposed increases would not provide the level of funding needed to fully fund the federal share of costs for both programs. Further, the increases proposed for Title I and IDEA would be offset by 47 program terminations that are proposed, totaling $3.2 billion (including Career & Technical Education State Grants, currently funded at $1.16 billion, and Education Technology State Grants, currently funded at $267.5 million). View additional details.
NSBA opposes the proposed budget and urges Congress to provide an increase of $2.5 billion for Title I grants and an increase of $2.5 billion for IDEA, in addition to restoring funding for Title V Innovative Education Grants and other programs that would be cut or eliminated in the proposed budget. NSBA executive director Anne Bryant released a statement regarding the proposed budget.
Please encourage your members to contact their members of Congress and urge strong support to provide the increases needed for Title I, IDEA, and other education programs in the FY2009 budget and appropriations process. It is especially important to contact members of the Budget and Appropriations Committees now, before the FY2009 Congressional budget resolution is passed.
*Economic Stimulus Package
Although the recent economic stimulus was signed into law this week, a second stimulus package may be developed to address the economic downturn affecting a number of states and local governments. NSBA urges Congress to provide immediate assistance for school repairs and modernization in a second economic stimulus package, which would address infrastructure needs in many school districts across the nation, as well as provide contracting opportunities and employment to help spur the economy. NSBA is also urging Congress to continue federal reimbursement of Medicaid claims to schools, which could exceed $650 million for the 2008-09 school year. As states, localities, and schools prepare their budgets for the next fiscal year, the threat of impending cuts to Medicaid reimbursement would impose a significant financial burden on states and local governments that are already facing losses in tax revenues because of current economic conditions. The reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is also a priority NSBA urges Congress to address immediately. The uncertainty of whether the program will be continued is impacting state and local budget allocations for education in many communities affected by the law. Read NSBA’s letter to Congress regarding assistance to schools in the economic stimulus.
*House passes Higher Education Act reauthorization
The House of Representatives easily passed H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act better known as the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, on Thursday, Feb. 7 by a vote of 354-58. The Senate passed its version of the higher education reauthorization last year and the legislation now moves to a conference committee.
Among the highlights of the House-passed bill is an increase in the authorization level for Pell Grants to as much as $9,000, along with making those funds available to students year-round. The bill also streamlines the federal student aid application process. Of special interest to K-12 are changes to strengthen and hold more accountable teacher preparation programs. For more details see NSBA’s letter on the HEA bill.