Funding for Education and Child-Related Programs

The federal government provides critical financial support to states, school districts, and local schools to target priorities and problems of national interest, supplement state and local efforts, and provide seed money for state and local education initiatives.  In fiscal year 2006 (FY06), the federal government, through the U.S. Department of Education, spent approximately 3.1 percent of the total federal budget on education. Roughly half of the total federal support for education is for postsecondary education, the remaining amount—less than 2 cents on the dollar—supports the critical elementary and secondary education programs that help our schools.

The federal government provides critical financial support to states, school districts, and local schools to target priorities and problems of national interest, supplement state and local efforts, and provide seed money for state and local education initiatives.  After almost a decade of markedly increased funding for education, President Bush has proposed to cut education funding for the second year in a row. In his Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07) budget, released February 6, 2006, the president proposes to cut $2.1 billion, or 3.8 percent, from education funding. This comes on top of the $624 million funding cut for the U.S. Department of Education in FY06.

Though federal funding for education rose to 3.1 percent of total federal spending in FY06, the proposed cut would reduce funding to a mere 2.3 percent.  Federal funding for elementary and secondary education supports programs that help our schools, including 

• Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which provides supplemental education help to improve the educational attainment of low-achieving students;
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides financial assistance to partially cover the costs of educating children with disabilities;
• Teacher quality initiatives that fund professional development opportunities for teachers and school staff to help schools raise standards and increase learning;
• Other school reforms authorized in NCLB, including class size reduction and school construction and modernization;
• Parent resource centers, safe and drug-free school programs, comprehensive school reform, before- and after-school enrichment opportunities, and other school improvement projects;
• Education technology, which provides resources to schools and students for acquiring and using high-technology tools that enhance learning and maximize academic achievement;
• Impact Aid, which compensates school districts for loss of local tax revenue caused by federal activity, such as the presence of military bases or other government property;
• Bilingual education programs, which help students learn English-language skills needed for educational achievement; and
• Vocational education programs, which teach students the academic and occupational skills needed to enter the workforce or to pursue additional education.

None of these federal programs are sufficiently funded to serve all the students and families who are eligible. The current level of federal investment in education does not match the increased expectations Americans have of their schools. Without an increased investment in education, states and public schools simply cannot meet the many challenges they face, such as

• Record growth in student enrollments;
• An increased proportion of students affected by poverty, special needs, and limited English proficiency;
• An enormous school facilities problem that affects class size, school safety, and access to education technology;
• A critical need for new, highly qualified teachers;
• Rapidly changing education technology needs; and
• New testing, teacher quality, and accountability requirements for states and school districts.

Other federal agencies fund child-related programs—including Head Start, nutrition, juvenile justice, child protection, child welfare, health care, environmental protection, and youth service programs—to assist children, families, schools, and communities. These programs are all inadequately funded as well.

National PTA,       

• Supports annual passage of federal appropriations bills containing adequate levels of funding for education and child-related programs;
• Opposes funding proposals and budget process changes that cut or negatively affect the availability of funds for education and child-related programs;
• Opposes tax credits and deductions for elementary and secondary school tuition and other education-related expenses for public and nonpublic school students; and
• Supports using public funds exclusively for public schools and opposes using tax dollars to finance education vouchers for private and religious schools.

National PTA commends the president and congress for providing substantial increases in education since 2001.  The past two years, however, have witnessed an encroachment on those increases.  The president and congress cannot go back on their word.  Additional funding for education is vital to America’s need to move forward, not backward.

In order to ensure that schools and districts can provide a quality education to all children, meet the high accountability standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act, and prepare students for employment in the high-tech economy in which they will work, greater financial resources are needed. Most states are recovering slowly from severe budget crises, and schools are strapped for funds to carry out basic educational services. Yet demands are being placed on schools to improve student achievement, without sufficient resources to hire teachers, expand compensatory education programs, upgrade technology, repair facilities, or address any of the other challenges they face.

In his State of the Union speech in January 2006, President Bush made strong statements about the need to keep America competitive.  The president’s proposed FY07 budget, however, fails to provide adequate funding for even core federal programs.  If we are serious about keeping America competitive, we must be equally serious about our support of education.  If we want our students to compete in today’s workforce, we must prepare our students to graduate from high-school and help them access post-secondary education.  If we want our children to compete in the workforce tomorrow, we must provide every child with a well-rounded, high-quality education today.  When it comes to preparing the nation’s children for the competitive workforce, there is no better investment than education.