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Feb. 15, 2001
Washington Wire
A Breakdown of the 2001 Education Budget
This year, Congress passed a record high budget increase for the Department of Education. Here are the details.
By: Ilene Rosenthal
On December 15, over two months after the beginning of fiscal year 2001, Congress finally agreed upon a budget for the U.S. Department of Education. Although long in coming, the final appropriations bill provides $42.1 billion for the Education Department, constituting a $6.5 billion (18 percent) increase over the fiscal year 2000 budget-the largest annual increase in the history of the department.
There is good reason for record increases in education spending. Rising enrollment is placing enormous strains on facilities, personnel, and other resources. It is estimated that the number of elementary and secondary students will rise from 46 million in 1989 to over 54.4 million in the 2006-07 school year. To cope with rising enrollments and the expected retirement of veteran teachers, K-12 schools will have to recruit two million new teachers over the next ten years.
Moreover, the number of students with special needs-including those living in poverty, with disabilities, and with limited English proficiency-continues to grow. At least 15 million K-12 students-almost 30 percent of the total enrollment-live in poverty. Six million K-12 students (11.5 percent of the total) have physical or cognitive disabilities requiring special education services. Some 3.2 million K-12 students (6 percent of the total) have limited proficiency in English.
Below are some of the major areas affected by the 2001 appropriations agreement.
Comprehensive School Reform Demonstrations (CSRD): $210 million (a $40 million increase) will go to CSRD grants, which help schools implement comprehensive school reform based on reliable research and effective practices. This would provide new grants to approximately 2,500 schools and continue support for 1,000 existing CSRD schools.
Even Start: $250 million (a $100 million increase) will help young children and their families prepare for school and for literacy.
Migrant Education: $380 million (a $25 million increase) will help the children of migrant workers succeed academically.
Reducing Class Size: $1.6 billion has been appropriated to reduce class sizes in the early grades by hiring new teachers. This represents a $323 million (25 percent) increase over last year.
Repairing and Modernizing Schools: $1.2 billion was appropriated for a new school renovation program. This will be used to renovate and repair approximately 3,500 schools and to make new investments in technology.
Title I
$9.5 billion was allocated for Title I grants, an increase of $831 million over last year.
Title I Accountability Grants: $225 million (a $91 million increase) will be targeted to turn around failing schools through actions ranging from intensive teacher training to required implementation of proven reforms or school takeovers.
Title I Basic and Concentration Grants: $8.4 billion (a $600 million increase) will provide funds to help nearly 12.9 million educationally disadvantaged children boost their basic skills.
Technology Grant Programs
Community Technology Centers, a grant program for public housing facilities, community centers, libraries, and other community facilities to make instructional technology available to residents of low-income urban and rural communities, was allocated $65 million, a $32 million increase.
Learning Anytime, Anywhere Partnerships (HEA Title IV-A), a grant program that uses distance learning to enhance postsecondary education and lifelong learning opportunities for students and adults, received $30 million, a $6.7 million increase over last year.
Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, a program that helps prepare new teachers to integrate technology into the classroom, will get $125 million, a $50 million increase. Approximately $32 million will be available for a new competition this year.
Star Schools, a program that provides instruction to students through distance education technologies, was increased by $9 million for a total of $59 million.
Technology Innovation Challenge Fund, a multiyear, multimillion-dollar national competition that encourages schools to develop and implement cutting-edge technology projects, was reduced by $10 million for a total of $136 million. Of this amount, approximately $9 million will be available for a new competition this year.
Technology Literacy Challenge Grants, which provide money for state-sponsored competitions to improve technology literacy in K-12 schools, were increased $25 million for a total of $450 million.
Title VI Innovative Education Strategies, a discretionary block grant to states, remains a vital source for funding technology each year. This year the program received $385 million, a $19 million increase. Historically, approximately 35% of Title VI monies go to hardware and software purchases.
Other Programs
Head Start: The comprehensive program to help prepare low-income children ages 3-5 for school, received $6.2 billion (a record $933 million increase).
Reading Excellence Program: $286 million (an increase of $26 million) will support awards to 27 states to help high-need schools improve reading instruction through various strategies such as tutoring, extended learning time, professional development, and family literacy activities. The increase will help an additional 100,000 children become successful readers.
21st Century Community Learning Centers: $846 million (an increase of $393 million) will provide before- and after-school and summer programs for school-age children. Approximately 6,700 centers will be supported in fiscal year 2001.
Hiring and Retaining Qualified Teachers
Bilingual Education Training for All Teachers: $100 million (a $28 million increase) will go toward improving education services to students with limited English proficiency.
Eisenhower State Grants for Teacher Professional Development: $485 million (a $150 million increase) will provide formula grants to states and school districts to help teachers improve their skills in core academic subjects. Nearly 15,000 school districts will get $150 million to help reduce the number of uncertified teachers and teachers who are not trained in the subjects they are teaching.
Eisenhower National Activities: $82 million (an increase of $44 million) will support important new initiatives to train early childhood educators and to help recruit talented mid-career professionals and college graduates to teaching.
Special Education: $7.4 billion (an increase of $1.4 billion) was allocated for special education. Funds will also provide early intervention services for 193,000 infants and toddlers.
Teacher Quality Enhancement: $98 million will help recruit new teachers to work in high-poverty and rural areas.
Reaching and Completing College
GEAR UP: $295 million will fund this program to give disadvantaged students and their families critical skills and support to successfully prepare for and pursue a college education. This represents a $95 million increase and will help an additional 490,000 low-income students obtain the services they need.
TRIO: $730 million (an $85 million increase) will provide outreach and student support services designed to help disadvantaged students enter and complete college.
New Legislative Initiatives
The Early Learning Opportunities Act creates a state block grant to increase the availability and accessibility of services and activities that support early childhood learning and promote school readiness of young children from birth to age six.
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools and libraries to implement filtering technology for computers with Internet access as a condition of receiving education technology funds, library services funds, or universal service discounts. Computers purchased with educational technology or library service funds and accessible to minors must have filters.
The Neighborhood Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools or libraries with Internet access to hold public hearings and adopt Internet use policies for material inappropriate for minors.
Ilene Rosenthal is president of New Image Media, LLC, an educational consulting company specializing in government affairs.
For links to the Department of Education 2001 Appropriations Table and the federal budget (both available as PDF files):
U.S. Department of Education Budget News
U.S. Department of Education home page
U.S. Government 2001 Budget
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