FY 2000 Budget Summary - February 1999


Section A - Elementary and Secondary Education


A. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

[Top] Overview

The 2000 budget for elementary and secondary education includes significant increases for priority programs. Combined with "tax expenditures" for the President?s School Construction proposal, the request demonstrates the continued Administration commitment to school reform and improvement by helping States and localities to reduce class sizes, build and renovate schools, ensure that every student is taught by a well qualified teacher, and enable every child to learn to challenging academic standards. The total request for discretionary elementary and secondary education programs is $14.5 billion, an increase of $697 million or 5.1 percent over the 1999 level. Highlights of the request for elementary and secondary programs include:

[TOP] School Construction

In response to the urgent need for school renovations and additional classrooms in communities across the Nation, the President?s budget includes a program of Federal subsidies for school construction bonds used to pay for new construction and for repair and renovation of existing facilities. This program would provide tax credits to eliminate the interest costs of such bonds. The Federal Government would subsidize the issuance of $22 billion in special 15-year bonds over the next two years—$11 billion in 2000 and $11 billion in 2001.

One-half of this bond authority would be allocated, by formula, to the States and one-half to the 100-125 local educational agencies with the largest number of children living in poverty. In addition, the Secretary of the Interior would allocate $200 million in bond authority each year to tribes, for renovations and repairs to Indian schools.

This new initiative would be modeled after the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds program enacted by Congress in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. That program subsidizes bonds issued by school districts for the purpose of school renovations and repairs, as well as equipment purchases and both curriculum and professional development. The bonds can be used for schools that are in Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, or in which at least 35 percent of students are eligible to participate in the school lunch program. The total amount of bonds issued under the Qualified Zone Academy program is currently capped at $400 million in each of calendar years 1998 and 1999. The Administration is proposing to extend the Qualified Academy Zone Bonds by authorizing an additional $1 billion in bonding authority in 2000 and $1.4 billion in 2001.

[TOP] Goals 2000: Educate America
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

State and Local Education Systemic Improvement

$466.0

$461.0

$461.0

Parental Assistance

25.0


30.0


30.0


          Total

491.0

491.0

491.0

Goals 2000 helps schools, communities, and States develop and implement their own strategies based on standards of excellence for improving elementary and secondary education. These strategies center on the creation and implementation of high standards and challenging assessments in core academic subjects that define what all students should know and be able to do at various grade levels.

With the help of Goals 2000, States are establishing academic standards and coordinating their curriculum frameworks, student assessment programs, teacher preparation and licensure requirements, parental and community involvement activities, and other aspects of their education systems to achieve the State standards. In this way, schools can measure progress through the new assessments, and parents and the public can get information about how well schools assist all children in reaching the standards.

A recent General Accounting Office report found that, according to State officials, Goals 2000 "has been a significant factor in promoting their education reform efforts and, in several cases, was a catalyst for some aspect of the State?s education reform movement." GAO also reported that "State and local officials said that Goals 2000 funding provided valuable assistance and that, without this funding, some reform efforts would not have been accomplished or would not have been accomplished as quickly."

In addition, a recent report of the National Education Goals Panel found that sustained, consistent reform policies (of the type financed by Goals 2000), backed by political leadership and business support in the State, was the clearest explanation for the gains by the two States, North Carolina and Texas, that have posted the largest advances in student achievement in recent years.

With 1999 State grant funds, Goals 2000 will help an estimated 12,000 schools across the Nation mobilize to design common-sense approaches to improve teaching and learning. The 2000 budget would sustain this program with level funding of $461 million.

In addition, the request includes level funding of $30 million for the separately authorized Goals 2000 Parental Assistance program. This program supports centers that provide parents with training, information, and support they need to help their children achieve to high standards. Centers are now operating in all States and Territories.

[TOP] Class Size Reduction

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

?

$1,200.0

$1,400.0

The new Class Size Reduction program will help school districts improve education in the early elementary grades by providing funds to hire highly qualified teachers and reduce class sizes. The initiative responds to recent research documenting the learning gains produced by smaller classes in the early grades. For example, in the most extensive research, students in smaller classes in Tennessee outperformed their peers on every achievement measure in every year of the study. These gains were particularly strong for minority and inner-city students (although all types of students in all types of communities benefited).

Class Size Reduction was first funded in 1999 under Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Each State receives a formula allocation and, in turn, distributes the money to local educational agencies (LEAs) by formula. LEAs use the funds to recruit, hire, and train new teachers, and may also use up to 15 percent of their allocations to test and provide professional development to teachers. An LEA that has reduced class size to no more than 18 students per class in grades 1-3 may use its funds to make further reductions in those grades, to reduce class sizes in other grades, or to carry out additional testing and professional development activities.

The President has set a goal of hiring 100,000 new teachers by fiscal year 2005. The 1999 appropriation will pay for more than 30,000 teachers. The request would sustain momentum toward the 100,000 goal with a $200 million increase and by requiring?through proposed appropriations language?that school districts provide a 35 percent match for any funds they receive in excess of their 1999 allocations. The funding increase and the match would combine to support the hiring of more than 38,000 teachers in the coming year. Districts with a high child poverty count would be exempt from the matching requirement.

[TOP] Technology Literacy Challenge Fund

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$425.0

$425.0

$450.0

The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund helps States put into practice strategies to enable all schools to integrate technology into school curricula, so that students can become more technologically literate and master the communication, math, science, and other core subjects needed to succeed in the Information Age. The Challenge Fund program is intended to achieve the following four goals by 2001:

The program provides formula grants to States based on their share of ESEA Title I allocations; States then award competitive grants to local school districts. States have a great deal of flexibility in determining how to accomplish program goals.

The 2000 request of $450 million would provide the fourth installment in a planned five-year commitment in this area. As in 1999, the Department will encourage State and local recipients to use at least 30 percent of their grants for educator professional development in the use of technology. Since a growing number of classrooms now have computers connected to the Internet, experts have emphasized the importance of ensuring that teachers are well trained to use technology to improve instruction. The requested $50 million increase will help States and school districts respond more quickly to this need for technology-related professional development.

The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund has supported major advances in access to technology in schools in recent years. Between 1994 and 1997, the percentage of schools connected to the Internet rose from 35 percent to 78 percent, and the proportion of classrooms connected rose from 3 percent to 27 percent. The 2000 request would help sustain these advances.

[TOP] Title I: Education for the Disadvantaged
(dollars in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Grants to LEAs

$7,375.2

$7,676.0

$7,996.0

Capital Expenses for Private School Children

41.1

24.0

?

Even Start

124.0

135.0

145.0

State Agency Programs:

     

     Migrant

305.5

354.7

380.0

     Neglected and Delinquent

39.3


40.3


42.0


          Subtotal

344.8

395.0

422.0

Evaluation

7.0


7.5


8.9


          Total

8,012.11

8,357.51

8,721.91


1 Total includes funding for the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program.

Title I provides supplemental programs to enable educationally disadvantaged children, particularly those attending schools in high-poverty areas, to learn the core subjects to high standards. With Title I, low-achieving children have the benefit of more individualized instruction, fundamental changes in the school to improve teaching and learning, and preschool education. Children of migrant agricultural workers, and students in State institutions for neglected and delinquent children and youth, also benefit from Title I services.

The 1999 request includes $8 billion, a $320 million increase, for Grants to Local Educational Agencies. The number of children served by this program has increased rapidly in recent years, as more schools have elected to establish schoolwide Title I programs. The Department estimates that in 2000 these grants will serve as many as 12 million students in 44,000 schools. The budget will help these schools continue to implement major reforms intended to help reduce the gap between the educational achievement of disadvantaged children and that of their more advantaged peers.

Reflecting the Administration?s commitment to helping States and local educational agencies turn around low-performing schools and put into place measures to ensure that all students meet academic standards before advancing to the next grade, the 2000 request for Title I puts a special emphasis on educational accountability. The budget would provide States with approximately $200 million in new resources for identifying and taking action to improve weak schools through such actions as intensive teacher training, support to improve school discipline, and the implementation of proven approaches to school reform. If these actions do not result in improved student achievement within two years, States would take additional corrective actions.

In addition, in order to channel Title I funds to the schools where those funds are most needed, the Department is proposing to allocate $756 million through the "Targeted Grants" formula. This formula provides more funding per child than the "Basic Grants" formula to school districts that have higher percentages or numbers of children from low-income families.

In addition to Grants to Local Educational Agencies, Title I includes several other programs:

Even Start supports local projects that blend early childhood education, parenting instruction, and adult education into a unified family literacy program. The request includes a $10 million increase to make these services available to more eligible families.

The budget includes a $25 million increase for Migrant Education to meet the unique needs of the children of highly mobile migrant agricultural workers and bring about better coordination of the resources available for serving migrant students. In particular, the increase will help States expand their efforts to identify migrant children, pay the higher costs often associated with serving those children, and employ methods, such as distance learning, to reach migrant farmworker communities. In total, the request will support services to some 640,000 migrant students, up from 624,000 in 1999. The Title I Neglected and Delinquent (N&D) program would also receive a small increase to improve services to children and youth in State-operated institutions.

The Department is proposing a $1.4 million increase for Title I Evaluations, which measure the impact of the LEA Grants and Migrant and N&D programs on the education of disadvantaged children. The Department will release a major national assessment of the Title I programs in February 1999. The 2000 appropriation would be used for continuing studies and analyses of longitudinal surveys, State-reported data, and other sources.

Finally the Department is requesting no funding for Capital Expenses for Private School Children. This program has helped school districts meet the extra costs of including private school children in Title I programs, under the terms mandated by the original (1985) Aguilar v. Felton decision, which prohibited provision of services at religious schools. Funds were used to pay for portable vans, leasing of neutral sites, and other costs of off-site services. In 1997, however, the Supreme Court reversed its original decision, and districts are now allowed to provide on-site instruction at religious schools. Subsequent appropriations then helped districts and private schools make the transition back to on-site services, for instance by funding the remaining costs of long-term leases. By 2000, however, this transition should be complete.

[TOP] Demonstrations of Comprehensive School Reform
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Title I Demonstrations

$120.0

$120.0

$150.0

Fund for the Improvement of Education

30.0


25.0


25.0


          Total

150.0

145.0

175.0

This program, first funded in 1998, helps schools develop or adapt, and implement, comprehensive school reform programs that are based on reliable research and effective practices. The $30 million increase requested under Title I for 2000 will expand the program to an additional 560 schools while continuing awards to the approximately 2,700 funded in 1998 and 1999.

In launching this program, the Congress recognized that a number of schools across the country are achieving impressive gains in student achievement by using new, comprehensive models for schoolwide change, rather than a piecemeal, fragmented approach to reform. The Comprehensive School Reform Demonstrations (CSRD) initiative gives more schools the opportunity to examine successful models of reform and adapt them to their own needs. Projects in individual schools must: (1) employ innovative strategies and proven methods for student learning, teaching, and school management that are based on reliable research and effective practices, and have been replicated successfully in schools with diverse characteristics; (2) have measurable goals for student performance and benchmarks for meeting those goals; and (3) obtain high-quality technical assistance from those with expertise in schoolwide reform and improvement.

Title I CSRD funds are allocated by formula to States on the basis of each State?s share of prior-year Title I Basic Grants. The States then make three-year competitive subgrants to schools participating in Title I programs. States are encouraged to give a priority to low-achieving schools that are in Title I "school improvement" status. Funding provided through the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) provides additional State allocations based on each State?s share of school-aged children. States may subgrant their FIE allocations to any school in the State.

The Department is conducting a three-year evaluation of CSRD that includes an electronic database on all participating schools, a longitudinal study of CSRD implementation and student achievement, focused studies of comprehensive school reform in several States and districts, and extensive site visits to help disseminate information on the early experiences in implementing CSRD in schools and districts.

[TOP] High School Equivalency Program and College Assistance Migrant Program
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

High School Equivalency Program

$7.6

$9.0

$15.0

College Assistance Migrant Program

2.0


4.0


7.0


Total

9.7

13.0

22.0

The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) funds projects to help low-income migrant and seasonal farm workers gain high school diplomas or equivalency certificates. The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) provides stipends and special services such as tutoring and counseling to migrant students who are in their first year of college. Both programs have demonstrated high success rates. In 1993-94, approximately 69 percent of HEP participants completed their GED and 96 percent of CAMP students completed their first year of college in good standing; almost 74 percent of CAMP participants eventually graduate from college.

In light of these successes, the Department proposes a $9 million, or 69 percent, increase for the HEP and CAMP programs. The request would enable the programs to serve almost 6,000 HEP participants (up from 4,050) and 1,150 CAMP participants (instead of 700).

[TOP] Reading and Literacy Grants

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

?

$260.0

$286.0

In October 1998, Congress passed the Reading Excellence Act, in response to the President?s proposal for a new program to help States and communities ensure that all children can read well and independently by the end of the third grade. Under this new authority, the Department will make competitive grants to States that have established statewide literacy partnerships and have strategies in place for improving reading instruction. Winning States will then make subgrants to communities for activities to provide children with the skills and support they need in early childhood so that they can succeed in learning to read once they enter school. Activities include extra support in reading to children in the early elementary grades and improving reading instruction in elementary schools. The States will also use up the 15 percent of their grant funds to make "Tutorial Assistance Grants" that support after-school tutorial programs for children in need of assistance in reading.

The authorizing legislation for this program permits a State to receive a single, three-year competitive grant. With the 1999 appropriation of $260 million, the Department expects to make 20-22 State grants. The 2000 request of $286 million will support grants to 22-24 additional States and more than double, to almost 1.1 million, the estimated number of children served.

[TOP] Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in million

$335.0

$335.0

$335.0

Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants is the largest Federal effort dedicated to helping ensure that there is a talented and dedicated teacher in every American classroom. The program is designed to provide the high-quality, intensive professional development needed to give educators the knowledge and skills necessary to teach children to standards of excellence. The program emphasizes improvement of instruction in mathematics and science?the first $250 million of each year?s appropriation must be used in that area?but also allows States and districts to use Federal funds to improve teaching in all of the core academic subjects. The emphasis is on sustained and intensive, high-quality development experiences that are tied to the everyday life of a school and that support continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The program gives schools the flexibility to set their own staff training and development priorities.

Level funding in 2000 would enable States, school districts, and institutions of higher education to continue their current efforts to upgrade the quality of instruction in the American classroom.

[TOP] Innovative Education Program Strategies State Grants

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$350.0

$375.0

?

The request includes no funding for the Title VI block grants because the program is not well designed to support the kinds of State and local efforts most likely to result in real improvements in teaching and learning. The evaluations of the antecedent Chapter 2 program concluded that the overall purpose of the program?supporting school reform?was not achieved because of the broad, vague, and overlapping nature of the activities eligible for funding. Fewer than half of the States, and very few districts, used Chapter 2 funds for such reform activities as developing or revising educational standards, developing improved student assessments, or entering into public-private partnerships. These evaluations also determined that the majority of the activities supported by Chapter 2 received only a small percentage of their funding from the program and, thus, would be likely to continue in its absence. The Department, therefore, believes that these funds would be better spent on programs that are truly focused on comprehensive educational improvement and reform.

[TOP] Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Safe and Drug-Free Schools

     

     State Grants

$531.0

$441.0

$439.0

     National Programs

25.0

90.0

90.0

     Coordinator Initiative

?

35.0

50.0

     Project SERV

?


?


12.0


          Total

556.0

566.0

591.0

America?s students cannot be expected to learn in schools where they are threatened by drug abuse and violence. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program is designed to help make our schools safe and drug-free by supporting comprehensive, integrated approaches to drug and violence prevention. The program provides significant resources to motivate our youth to reject illegal drugs as well as the use of alcohol and tobacco, which is Goal Number 1 of the National Drug Control Strategy. Toward this end, the request would provide $591 million for this program, a $25 million increase over the 1999 level.

The request includes $439 million for State Grants, which are distributed by formula to State educational agencies (SEAs) and Governors and then subgranted to local educational agencies (LEAs) and other entities. To improve the effectiveness of this program, the budget would require SEAs to distribute 30 percent of their funds as competitive grants to a limited number of LEAs on the basis of district need and program quality. This recommendation reflects findings that funds under the program do not always flow to the districts with the greatest need, in amounts sufficient to make a real difference or for activities that research indicates are most effective. The proposed allocation rules, along with "principles of effectiveness" governing program expenditures that the Department published last July, should have a significant impact on program results.

The 2000 request would also provide new resources for two major initiatives. The Coordinator Initiative would receive a $15 million increase for a total of $50 million in 2000. This initiative will help place drug and violence prevention coordinators in middle schools with significant drug and violence problems. Coordinators will help schools analyze their crime and drug problems, select and implement the most appropriate and effective interventions to address those problems, and work with the outside community to ensure that school programs are linked with all available community resources. The 2000 request would permit support of some 1,300 coordinators to work in 6,500 middle schools, almost one-half of middle schools nationally.

The second new initiative is Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence). Under this program, the Department will partner with other Federal agencies in providing emergency assistance to schools affected by serious violence or other traumatic incidents. The funds would support counseling of students, school staff, and other community members; provision of additional school security personnel; and other services that help schools and communities prepare for or respond to crises.

The budget request would level-fund Safe and Drug-Free Schools National Programs at $90 million. With the significant increase appropriated for this program in 1999, the Department, along with other agencies, is launching the "Safe Schools/Healthy Students" initiative. This activity will assist school districts and communities to develop and implement comprehensive, community-wide strategies for creating safe and drug-free schools and for promoting healthy childhood development, so that students can grow and thrive free from violence or other destructive behaviors. The 2000 request includes $60 million to continue Safe Schools/Healthy Students projects, and $30 million for other discretionary activities funded under National Programs.

[TOP] Charter Schools

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$80.0

$100.0

$130.0

The Charter Schools program stimulates comprehensive education reform and public school choice by supporting the planning, development, and initial implementation of public charter schools. Charter schools are public schools that are exempted from most education rules and regulations so as to permit more flexible and innovative methods of achieving educational excellence. In exchange for this greater independence, charter schools are held accountable for improving student performance. A total of 34 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have charter schools laws, and the number of charter schools has increased from 250 to almost 1,000 in the past three years.

The Department?s Public Charter Schools program provides financial support for the planning and initial implementation of charter schools, primarily through grants to States (which then make subgrants to charter school developers). Amendments to the statute enacted in 1998 strengthen the focus on educational accountability and give a priority to States that have multiple chartering agencies and allow charter schools a high degree of autonomy over their budgets. They also permit States to use a limited amount of their funds to support dissemination of information on successful charter school programs.

The $130 million request would assist the continued growth of this promising educational reform by funding new and continuing awards for some 1,700 charter schools. The Administration?s objective is to stimulate the creation of 3,000 schools by early in the next decade.

[TOP] Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$27.1

$28.0

$32.0

Under this program, a network of 15 university-based or non-profit centers offers comprehensive technical assistance that cuts across programs and addresses the needs of schools and school districts for help in integrating the various ESEA programs in support of State and local education reforms. Each center provides support, training, and assistance?in areas identified by the States and LEAs in their regions as most critical?on such topics as curriculum, instruction, assessments, professional development, program evaluation, meeting the needs of at-risk populations, creation of a safe and drug-free school environment, and implementing educational technologies.

The $32 million request, a $4 million increase, will enable the centers to meet a higher proportion of the requests they receive from clients and, in particular, to offer more intensive, on-site services to individual districts and schools.

[TOP] Magnet Schools Assistance
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Magnet schools program

$97.0

$98.0

$98.0

Innovative programs

3.0

5.0

5.1

Inter-district programs

0.0

0.0

10.0

Evaluation

1.0


1.0


0.9


          Total

101.0

104.0

114.0

The Magnet Schools Assistance program makes grants to local educational agencies to operate magnet schools that are part of a court-ordered or federally approved desegregation plan to eliminate, reduce, or prevent minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools. Magnet schools address their desegregation goals by providing a distinctive educational program that attracts a diverse student population.

A separate authority supports "Innovative Programs" carried out under local desegregation plans that do not involve magnet schools. Innovative Programs may include neighborhood or community school models that are organized around a special emphasis, theme, or concept and that involve extensive parent and community involvement. Grants for both Magnet Schools and Innovative Programs run for three years.

The 2000 budget would support continuation of 58 Magnet Schools awards first made with 1998 funds and of approximately 14 Innovative Programs grants that will be awarded with 1999 funds. In addition, the Department is requesting a $10 million increase to make new awards that will support inter-district approaches to school desegregation. Inter-district programs generally bring together students from urban and suburban districts to attend schools with special emphases or themes. They can thus be an effective desegregation mechanism, particularly for urban districts that, because of the demographics of the student population, have difficulty desegregating on their own. The request for funding for a special competition for inter-district magnet programs is also part of the Administration?s broader strategy of supporting creation of additional choices for students and parents within the public school system.

[TOP] Education for Homeless Children and Youth

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$28.8

$28.8

$31.7

This program provides formula grants to States to carry out activities to ensure that all homeless children have access to a free, appropriate public education. States also make subgrants to local educational agencies for tutoring, transportation, and other services that help homeless children to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school.

Since this program began in 1988, nearly all States have revised their laws, regulations, and policies to improve educational access for homeless students. States have typically eased residency requirements, and some have made great strides in changing transportation and immunization policies to ensure greater access for the homeless. Nevertheless, homeless children and youth continue to be a population at significant risk of educational failure and, because of their mobility, are often underserved by programs that are designed to prevent that failure, such as Head Start, special education, and bilingual education. The $31.7 million request for this program, a $2.9 million increase, would allow States to focus both on improving services to homeless children and on increasing the number of students served.

[TOP] Inexpensive Book Distribution

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$12.0

$18.0

$18.0

This program is administered through a contract with Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. RIF allocates funds to local community associations that select and distribute inexpensive books to children free-of-charge. RIF currently reaches more than 2.2 million children through 4,000 local projects. Since 1994, legislation has required RIF, in selecting new local projects, to give priority to those that will serve children who are low-income, disabled, homeless, or have other special needs.

[TOP] Arts in Education

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$10.5

$10.5

$10.5

This program supports student competency in the arts, a component of the National Education Goals, by encouraging the integration of arts education into elementary and secondary school curricula. The Department awards funds to the Very Special Arts (VSA) organization, which develops programs that integrate the arts into the general education of children with disabilities and the lives of adults with disabilities, and to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts education program, which supports a variety of arts education activities with States and schools.

[TOP] Women's Educational Equity

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$3.0

$3.0

$3.0

The Women's Educational Equity program promotes educational equity for girls and women through grants to public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, and individuals. By law, at least two-thirds of funds support local implementation of gender-equity policies and practices through such activities as teacher training to ensure gender equity in the classroom and guidance and counseling to increase opportunities for women in fields in which they are traditionally underrepresented. The remaining funds support dissemination through a national resource center and research and development grants. Level funding in 1999 would make available about $2.1 million for new awards.

[TOP] Training and Advisory Services (Title IV of the Civil Rights Act)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$7.3

$7.3

$7.3

This program supports 10 regional Equity Assistance Centers that provide services to school districts on issues related to desegregation based on race, gender, and national origin. Typical activities include disseminating information on successful practices and legal requirements related to nondiscrimination, providing training to educators to develop their skills in specific areas, such as identification of bias in instructional materials, and technical assistance on selection of instructional materials.

[TOP] Education for Native Hawaiians
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Family-Based Education Centers

$6.0

$7.2

$7.2

Higher Education

2.7

2.7

2.7

Gifted and Talented

2.0

2.0

2.0

Special Education

2.0

2.0

2.0

Curriculum Development, Teacher Training, and Recruitment


4.0


4.8


4.8

Community-Based Centers

1.0

1.0

1.0

Native Hawaiian Education Councils

0.3


0.3


0.3


          Total

18.0

20.0

20.0

These programs provide educational services for Hawaiian Natives, many of whom continue to perform below national norms on achievement tests of basic skills in reading, science, math, and social science. Hawaiian Natives also experience higher than average rates of absenteeism and grade retention, are disproportionately identified as disabled, and have a low rate of postsecondary participation. The Education for Native Hawaiians programs address each of these issues, and have demonstrated significant progress in such areas as early childhood education and higher education. In recent years, at the instruction of Congress, the Department has funded new projects in such areas as aquaculture education, Hawaiian language revitalization, and prisoner education. These and other activities would continue under the 2000 budget.

[TOP] Alaska Native Education Equity
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Educational Planning, Curriculum Development, Teacher Training, and Recruitment


$4.0


$5.1


$5.1

Home-based Education for Pre-School Children

3.2

3.8

3.8

School Enrichment

0.8


1.1


1.1


          Total

8.0

10.0

10.0

These programs provide educational services to meet the special needs of Native Alaskan children. Recent studies have shown that 60 percent of Alaska Natives entering high school in urban areas do not graduate, and Alaska Natives trail other students on tests of educational proficiency. The 2000 request includes level funding for continuation of projects that address the barriers preventing Alaska Native children from achieving to higher academic standards.

[TOP] Advanced Placement Incentives

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$3.0

$4.0

$20.0

This program awards grants to States to enable them to cover part or all of the cost of advanced placement test fees of low-income students who are enrolled in an advanced placement course and intend to take an advanced placement test. The program thus provides an incentive for districts serving low-income students to offer advanced placement courses and for students to take those courses. Passing the AP tests can then result in students earning college credits and reducing their postsecondary education costs.

As reauthorized in 1998, the program supports other activities to make advanced placement and other challenging courses available to students from low-income families and, thus, upgrade the high school curriculum available to those students. States in which low-income students pay no more than a nominal fee to take AP tests can now use program funds for such activities as development of curriculum for advanced placement courses and training of teachers to teach in those courses.

The significant increase requested for 2000 would take advantage of this new authority to launch a three-year initiative to bring challenging course to all high schools. New funds would support State efforts to make high-level, challenging courses more widely available. For example, States could use the Internet or other technologies to bring physics and calculus courses to high schools that do not currently offer them.

[TOP] Ellender Fellowships

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

BA in millions

$1.5

$1.5

?

The Ellender Fellowships program, administered by the Close Up Foundation of Washington, D.C., provides financial aid to enable low-income students and their teachers to participate in week-long seminars on government in Washington. A separate program is designed to increase understanding of the Federal Government among older Americans, recent immigrants, and children of migrant parents.

A 1992 study of the Ellender Fellowship program found that, despite a pattern of increasing Federal funding for the program and significant increases in private-sector support for the Close Up Foundation, the number of fellowships had steadily declined. In 1996, at the request of Congress, the Department and Close Up developed a plan for the Foundation to continue its activities without Federal support. Under this plan, the Foundation pledged to expand its private development activities, including, for the first time, reaching out to the nearly 500,000 Close Up alumni. The Department believes that these activities make further Federal funding unnecessary.

[TOP] Indian Education
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Grants to LEAs

$59.8

$62.0

$62.0

Special Programs for Indian Children

?

3.3

13.3

National Activities

?


0.7


1.7


          Total

59.81

66.0

77.0


1 Excludes $2.8 million in 1998 for administrative costs, which are included in the Program Administration account in 1999 and 2000.

The Department's Indian Education programs supplement the efforts of State and local educational agencies, and Indian tribes, to improve educational opportunities for Indian children. The programs link these efforts to broader educational reforms underway in States and localities to ensure that Indian students benefit from those reforms and achieve to the same challenging academic standards as other students.

Census, NCES, and other data document that American Indians continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty and low educational achievement, although there has been progress in recent decades. For example, in the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 48 percent of Indian 4th graders and 63 percent of Indian 8th graders scored at or above the basic level in reading, compared to 60 and 70 percent, respectively, for all students. In the 1996 NAEP mathematics assessment, 52 percent of Indian 4th graders and and 50 percent of Indian 8th graders performed at least at the basic level, compared to 64 and 62 percent for the general student population. In response to the continuing need for programs that address the special needs of the Indian population, the total 2000 request for Indian Education programs is $77 million, an $11 million increase over the 1999 level.

On August 6, 1998, President Clinton signed an Executive Order on Indian Education. That Order commits the Federal Government to developing a comprehensive response to the national need for better education of Indians, particularly in such areas as reading, mathematics, and science, improving postsecondary attendance and completion rates, and ensuring that Indian students have access to strong, safe, and drug-free school environments. Specific, long-term strategies for meeting these objectives are being developed by an interagency Federal task force.

The 2000 budget request for Indian education is an initial response to the Executive Order. In particular:

In addition to the above initiatives, which flow specifically from the Executive Order, the budget would continue the Grants to Local Educational Agencies at $62 million. This program provides formula grants to public and BIA-supported schools for activities that address the educational needs of Indian students. These activities must be linked to student performance goals based on challenging State or local standards, and the districts must report periodically to their communities on progress they are making toward those goals. The request would also continue funding for early childhood demonstrations and educator professional development projects that the Department is initiating, in 1999, with Special Programs for Indian Children funds.

[TOP] Impact Aid
(BA in millions)

 


1998


1999

2000
Request

Payments for Federally Connected Children:

     

   Basic Support Payments

$662.0

$704.0

$684.0

   Payments for Children with Disabilities

50.0

50.0

40.0

   Payments for Heavily Impacted Districts

62.0

70.0

?

Facilities Maintenance

3.0

5.0

5.0

Construction

7.0

7.0

7.0

Payments for Federal Property

24.0


28.0


?


          Total

808.0

864.0

736.0

The Impact Aid program provides support to school districts affected by Federal activities. The 2000 budget request would place priority on children whose presence in school districts poses a true financial burden: children living on Indian lands and children who live on Federal property and who have a parent on active duty in the uniformed services, in civilian Federal employment, or in the employ of a foreign military service.

The $684 million request for Basic Support Payments, although $20 million less than the 1999 amount, would provide a 6 percent increase in the payments on behalf of the categories of children listed above. No payments would be made for the so-called "b" children (those who live on or have a parent working on Federal property, but not both), because their presence does not place a significant burden on districts.

The $40 million request for Payments for Children with Disabilities, while a $10 million reduction, would increase the average per-child payment for the eligible categories of children by 5 percent. These funds provide additional support for certain federally connected children who are eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. As under Basic Support Payments, no payments would be made on behalf of "b" children.

The request would provide no funding for Payments to Heavily Impacted Districts. While this authority was originally designed to assist school districts that have large concentrations of federally connected children and limited fiscal capacity to educate those children, the funding rules recently adopted by Congress do not target funds effectively to those districts.

The Department of Education owns and must maintain 53 school facilities that serve large numbers of military dependents. The $5 million requested for Facilities Maintenance will fund essential repairs to these facilities and allow the Department to continue to upgrade and transfer school facilities to local educational agencies.

The $7 million request for Impact Aid Construction would help meet the school construction needs of local educational agencies with large proportions of federally connected children.

No funds are requested for Payments for Federal Property, which are made to school districts without regard to the presence of federally connected children. The majority of the districts funded under this program have had sufficient time (approximately 50 years) to adjust to the removal of Federal property from the tax base, and they should be able to compensate for the termination of separate funding for this program.

Direct any questions to Martha Jacobs, Budget Service


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This page last updated February 9, 1999 (saw).