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Appropriators
Recommend Big Increase in Federal Education Funds But Shortchange
Neediest Schools with $3 Billion Block Grant
By
Jeff Simering, Director of Legislation
 The House and Senate Appropriations
Committees have reached a tentative agreement to increase federal
education funding for fiscal year 2001 by a record $5 billion. But
it is likely to trigger a presidential veto and a new round of 11th
hour dickering, because the package does not include several of the
Administration's education initiatives, like school construction and
class size reduction.
The new budget numbers were reached after a bidding war
that saw the Administration propose a $4.5 billion increase in
education funding; the House responding with a $1.6 billion
increase; the Senate raising the ante with a $4.6 billion increase;
and the Conference Committee then boosting the increases to over $5
billion.
Conferees particularly focused on the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with increases of $1.3 billion; on
the 21st Century after-school programs with increases of $146
million; on Bilingual Education with increases of $51 million; and
on Title VI Innovative Education Strategies.
The Title I LEA Grant program, which has languished financially
in recent years, has received a small funding increase of
approximately $150 million. Appropriators are still struggling with
the allotment of Title I funds after learning that about
two-thirds of the nation's school districts received no increase
from last year's Title I funding increase of more than a quarter of
a billion dollars.
This situation resulted from hold-harmless provisions and two
state discretionary programs added during conference negotiations
over the past few years. The Council of the Great City Schools is
encouraging Congress to match the $448 million Title I increase
recommended by the Administration, and to allot this increase to the
Title I formula grants for all eligible school districts.
The most controversial action of the Conference Committee
involved terminating the two year-old class size reduction program
and refusing to fund the large school construction and renovation
program—two top Administration priorities.
The omission by the Conferees is particularly distressing to the
Council of the Great City Schools, because urban schools have the
largest class sizes in the nation and the most deteriorated
facilities. Congressional appropriators have rolled the prior year
funding for class size reductions and new funding requested for
school repair into a $3.1 billion block grant to the states.
The tentative appropriation agreements are particularly troubling
to school districts with large numbers of poor children since the
proposed block grant dilutes the available funding for two
high-priority areas (i.e., class size reduction and school repair)
and sends the $3.1 billion to districts with far less need.
The Council of the Great City Schools has voiced its opposition
to this proposal because it shortchanges school districts with the
greatest needs. The Council applauds the new education funding
levels, but strongly disagrees with appropriators about how to
target them. | 
