Spending on education is about 2% of the federal budget. That sliver of the budgetary pie was $63.8 billion in 2011. Even in the climate of debt reduction the President’s education budget for fiscal year 2013 is likely to see an increase. But this budget will need to be approved by congress. Given congress’ track record of bi-partisanship this debate could get ugly.
At stake is where federal money is directed. Lawmakers and the President are aligning themselves according to budget priorities.
The President and the majority of the Senate would like to see more of the money go to the grant programs- Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation funds, and Promise Neighborhood grants among others. These funds are administered by the Department of Education and recipients of these funds must apply for these grants. Some applicants are rewarded, others are not.
The majority of the House of Representatives supports the formula programs- Titles I and III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The money in these programs is distributed according to a formula and every congressional district benefits from these funds. A cut to the formula funds means a representative brings less money back to their district.
Final approval of the budget is set to occur during the post-election lame-duck session November 15th through December 14th.
While the lame-duck session is a long way off lawmakers are already debating the budget in committee. It will be interesting to see how this debate unfolds. If you have an opinion now is the time to inform your member of congress. By the time the lame-duck session rolls around all of the deals will have been struck and the difficult choices will have been determined.
However there is one major caveat to this budget setting process: sequestration. As part of last year’s debt ceiling debate congress charged the “Super Committee” with finding $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next ten years. As you may remember, the “Super Committee” failed to reach an agreement. The consequence of this failure is sequestration. Sequestration, beginning in January 2013, results in automatic across the board spending cuts of 8.5 – 9.5%. This will be a heavy hit to the education budget.
Time remains for sequestration to be avoided but it will take a level of bi-partisan agreement not yet seen in congress. For the sake of our children, let’s hope the adults can work together.
Hey, thanks for writing about a federal issue here–it helps us in WA state stay informed and interested!
Yes Mark. Especially regarding education, something that is important to all of us and central for a functioning democracy. I hope they save the ideology and rhetoric for less important topics.
I wish I could have faith in the adults. I wonder sometimes if children mightn’t manage better behavior and compromise.