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Increases for Title I, IDEA and Pell Grants comprise about one-third of the new domestic discretionary dollars the president is seeking for his entire domestic agenda.

Despite the many priorities competing for tax dollars--protecting our homeland, fighting terrorism and recovering from recession--President Bush's budget request for 2004 provides $53.1 billion for the U.S. Department of Education, an increase of $2.8 billion or 5.6 percent above his 2003 spending plan and the largest dollar increase of any domestic agency.

The 2004 request, together with his 2003 budget, builds on the substantial federal investment in education during the last six years with discretionary appropriations rising from $23 billion in fiscal year 1996 to $49.9 billion in fiscal year 2002--a growth of 117 percent.

"Last month we celebrated a year of progress enacting the historic reforms of No Child Left Behind. At that time, President Bush remarked: 'We can say that the work of reform is well begun.'

"Today, I am pleased to announce that the president's 2004 budget for the Department of Education will ensure that the work of reform continues--so every public school in America can be a place of high expectations and a place of high achievement."

Among the highlights of the 2004 budget request:

Implementing No Child Left Behind--The request would provide $12.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies to help states and school districts turn around low-performing schools, improve teacher quality and increase choices for parents. This level represents a $3.6 billion increase, or 41 percent, in Title I Grants to LEAs funding since the passage of No Child Left Behind. The budget also provides $390 million for State Assessment Grants to help states develop and implement--by the 2005-2006 school year--the annual reading and math assessments in grades three through eight that are integral to the strong state accountability systems required by the new law.

Reading First--As another means to implement No Child Left Behind, the president is asking for $1.05 billion for Reading First State Grants and $100 million for Early Reading First--two programs that support proven methods for improving the reading skills of young children.

More Choices for Parents--The 2004 budget includes a variety of proposals designed to ensure that parents have meaningful choices. The proposal includes $75 million for a new Choice Incentive Fund that would make competitive awards to states, school districts, and community-based nonprofit organizations aimed at providing large numbers of students with expanded choice opportunities; $25 million for Voluntary Public School Choice grants that would encourage states and school districts to establish or expand statewide and interdistrict public school choice programs; and $320 million to support charter schools, including $100 million for a program to help charter schools pay for school facilities.

Flexible Funding for States and School Districts--No Child Left Behind provides unprecedented flexibility for states and school districts to combine federal program dollars and pursue their own strategies for raising student achievement. For example, states and LEAs may transfer up to 50 percent of the funding they receive under four major formula grant programs to any one of the programs, or to Title I. The covered programs are Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs and Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities. For 2004, the president's request would provide nearly $4.4 billion for these four programs, which may be consolidated and used for virtually any educational purpose authorized under the ESEA.

The Bush administration wants to help ensure that all young children, especially those in poverty, enter their school years well prepared to succeed. For this reason, the administration is proposing a state option that will help states more efficiently and effectively coordinate services provided by Head Start, public school prekindergarten and other early childhood programs. The focus is on how best to prepare children to succeed, regardless of the organization involved.

Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)--The budget provides for $9.5 billion in grants to states, the highest level of federal educational support ever for children with disabilities and a $3.2 billion or 50 percent increase since the president took office. The 2004 budget also supports the reform of the government 's overlapping training and employment programs first proposed in last year's budget. A $2.7 billion request for Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants would help state VR agencies increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in the labor force while at the same time reducing duplication and complexity in the operation of federal training programs.

Vocational and Adult Education--The administration will propose fundamental changes to vocational and adult education programs during the upcoming reauthorization of both activities. For vocational education, this means greater emphasis on student outcomes and stronger links with high school programs, including activities supported by the ESEA Title I program. The request would provide $1 billion for a new Secondary and Technical Education State Grants program that would create a coordinated high school and technical education improvement program in place of the current Vocational Education State Grants program.

Postsecondary Education--The 2004 request would support more than $62 billion in grant, loan and work-study assistance to an estimated 9.2 million postsecondary students and their families. The cornerstone of this assistance is a $12.7 billion request for the Pell Grant program, which would provide up to $4,000 in grant aid to more than 4.9 million students.

The spending plan also would increase the incentive for highly qualified math, science and special education teachers to work in low-income communities by raising the amount of loans that may be forgiven for such service from $5,000 to $17,500.

In addition, a $385 million request for the Aid for Institutional Development (HEA Title III) programs demonstrates the president's commitment to assisting institutions that enroll a large proportion of minority and disadvantaged students, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Historically Black Graduate Institutions, to help close achievement and attainment gaps between minority students and other students. A $94 million request Hispanic-serving Institutions would help increase academic achievement, high school graduation, postsecondary participation and life-long learning among Hispanic Americans.

"The president is proposing a $1 billion increase for Title I; $1 billion increase for IDEA; and $1.9 billion increase for Pell Grants," Paige said. "These three increases comprise about one-third of the new domestic discretionary dollars the president is seeking for his entire domestic agenda. No other domestic agency has three programs receiving such monumental increases.

"It is our job--our duty--to ensure that these funds are put to the good use and help improve academic achievement for all our children."

For more information about the budget request, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget04/index.html

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