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Tight
Caps Threaten Federal
Education Funding
By Jeff Simering,
Director, Legislative Services
 .As Congress returns from its August
recess, federal lawmakers are faced with finishing its difficult
work on FY2000 budget and appropriation issues. Nine appropriations
bills have already passed both houses, but the four remaining
spending measures—including the always controversial
Labor/Health/Education appropriations bill—promise to be far more
contentious than the other funding packages. The reason: the tight
budget caps set by the White House and congressional leaders during
the 1997 balanced budget agreement were set too low to allow
programs to be funded even at their current levels. And neither side
wants to be accused of being a ``big spender" by breaking the caps.
Recent estimates indicate that the Labor/Health/Education
appropriations subcommittee has approximately $16 billion less than
what it needs to provide even current year funding levels. A
shortfall of that size could result in education programs being cut
by as much as 18 percent. The Title I Program could absorb a $ 1.5
billion cut. The Class Size Reduction Program could be reduced by
$216 million. And, the Safe and Drug Free Schools, Educational
Technology, and Title VI Innovative Strategies programs could be cut
by as much as $101 million, $99 million, and $68 million
respectively.
Ironically, these potential cuts are similar in size to those
that loomed in the 104th Congress of the mid-1990s, when the annual
federal deficit was expected to be around $200 billion. Now, the
economy is booming and the annual federal surplus is expected to be
over $100 billion.
Appropriations committee leaders in both houses have been
clamoring for relief from the 1997 budget restrictions, or for
alternative budget resources. At present, however, little
progress has been made in the stalemate as the spending
subcommittees are poised to begin their markups after returning from
recess. Observers expect another 11th hour budget summit at the end
of the session between the Administration and congressional
leadership to resolve the impending budget meltdown.
The authorizing committees, in the meantime, are working on
rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), but are
running out of time before the targeted late October adjournment
date. The House committee has split the ESEA bill into segments and
is considering each in separate measures. It has already approved a
consolidation of teacher professional development programs, Goals
2000, and Class Size Reduction on a generally party-line vote.
There are prospects for greater bipartisanship in late September on
the second segment of the ESEA bill, which is expected to include
Title I and other special-needs programs.
The final segment of the ESEA bill, composed of the remaining
titles, is expected to be taken up in late October. The Senate
committee, meanwhile, is expected to proceed with a single
comprehensive ESEA reauthorization bill before adjournment. A
conference resolving the differences may not occur until next year.
Finally, the looming veto of the $800 billion tax relief bill
will add another issue to an already full education agenda for the
waning days of the first session of the 106th Congress: school
construction. Both sides of the aisle continue to struggle over a
need that nearly everyone believes has to be solved. The fall
session promises to be one of the most intense in recent memory.
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