|
Education spending just got a big boost from its federal advocates. In fact, local schools will receive 10%, or $4.5 billion more in federal resources, than President Bush requested. The Department of Education, which Republicans have sought to abolish, will get 16% more in funding than provided by Congress last year. Funding for elementary and secondary education programs will rise 17% over last year, and higher education programs will jump 13%. This legislation pumps more money into much needed Title I programs for disadvantaged children. These programs will receive an increase of 14% over the President's request, and 18% over last year's budget. This increase represents the largest dollar increase for Title I since the inception of the program.
Funding for special education programs will increase 19% over last year, raising the federal share toward special education costs from 12% in Fiscal Year 2000 to 17% in Fiscal Year 2002. The amount is $189 million more than the President requested in his budget.
For students trying to pay for spiraling college education costs, the maximum Pell Grant will now be $4,000, an increase of $250 over last year. For comparison, the Bush budget request included a $100 increase in the maximum grant - the smallest since 1995. The new funding provides financial aid to 121,000 more students than assisted in 2001, bringing the total amount of Pell Grant recipients to 4.3 million. The bill also provides $803 million for TRIO grants, a 10% increase over last year, and $285 million for GEAR UP grants to expand access to and support during postsecondary education for low-income students.
This federal legislation also flows into our local classrooms. State grants for teacher training and class size reduction will receive an increase of 10% over the President's request and 31% over last year. The funds will help schools hire up to 12,000 teachers to reduce class sizes or provide intensive, high quality and sustained professional development to as many as 675,000 teachers, which is 115,000 more than was requested under the President's budget.
Funding for 1,500 federally impacted schools, like those affected by base closings, will receive $150 million in Fiscal Year 2002 - a 15% increase over last year. In addition, the legislation provides $163 million for a new rural education program. This initiative, which was not requested by President Bush, will assist approximately 3,000 small rural schools. The legislation also expands after-school centers by providing $1 billion for before - and after - school programs for an estimated 1.4 million children. That represents an 18% increase over last year, when President Bush sought to leave the funding for these programs at the previous Year's level.
Federal support for education has been growing steadily since the 1996-97 school year. At that time, federal revenue to local schools was cut by $1.7 billion. But over the past five years, pro-education Democrats like myself have prevailed in Congress, increasing the federal investment in education at an annual rate of 14% on average. The President's budget proposed to slash that rate to just 5% this year, but the final version of the bill grows the federal education budget by 16%. That translates to more than $32.9 billion for elementary and secondary schools for the 2002-2003 school year, which doubles the $14.6 billion available for the 1996-1997 school year.
This is a dramatic victory for those of us who have fought long and hare to insure that education is a national priority. Education in South Carolina and many other states is at a critical juncture, and this legislation comes none to soon for many South Carolina students and teachers.
# # # |
|
U.S. Congressman 
