Washington would receive $820 million under President George W. Bush's fiscal year 2003 budget request of $56.5 billion for the Department of Education, including for the department a record high $50.3 billion for discretionary programs, continuing his commitment to improve student achievement and to leave no child behind.

The $820 million for Washington would represent a boost of $35 million from the current level of federal education grants to the state.

President Bush's request builds on recent growth in the department's budget, which has more than doubled since 1996.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige called President Bush's budget another strong investment in meeting the needs of the nation's disadvantaged students.

"President Bush's budget demonstrates his continued commitment to meeting the needs of disadvantaged children. The president's proposed investments stretch from early childhood education through college and beyond," Paige said. "They not only will help us ensure every child has access to a quality education, but also will help us keep our economy sound and our homeland strong."

Deputy Secretary of Education William Hansen said President Bush's proposal would better target resources to students and schools with the greatest needs.

"Federal education investments are mostly targeted to programs that support poor and minority students–students who are most likely to be left behind by our education system," Hansen said. "President Bush's 2003 education budget would do an even better job of targeting our investments to help students and schools with the greatest need and to fund programs that produce results."

Increases in President Bush's 2003 budget request correspond to his determination to close the achievement and attainment gaps that persist among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups across the country.

Hansen highlighted the proposed investments in new and existing programs that support the principles of President Bush's No Child Left Behind framework now embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including:

• $11.4 billion for Title I grants to local education agencies, an increase of $1 billion or 9.7 percent, to give states and school districts additional resources to turn around low-performing schools, improve teacher quality, and ensure that no child is trapped in an underperforming school ($155,297,407 for Washington);
  
  
• $2.85 billion for Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, to give states and school districts the flexibility to adopt research-based strategies that will work best to meet their need for improving the quality of teaching and raising student achievement in the core academic subjects ($46,319,978 for Washington);
  
  
• $1 billion for Reading First, an increase of $100 million or 11.1 percent, for a nationwide effort to support comprehensive reading instruction for children in grades K-3. Plus, another $75 million for Early Reading First, a competitive grant program to develop and support the school readiness of preschool-aged children in high-poverty communities ($14,645,598 for Washington);
  
  
• $665 million for English Language Acquisition through a redesigned program that offers states grants to help English language learners make progress in learning English and meeting the same high standards as all other students ($8,633,601 for Washington);
  
  
• $644.3 million for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, including $472 million for state grants and $172 million for national programs to make sure our students will not be trapped in persistently dangerous schools ($7,128,890 for Washington); and
  
  
• $387 million for state assessments and enhanced assessment instruments to help states create standards for what a child should know and learn in reading and math in grades 3-8 and develop annual assessments that are aligned to those standards ($7,635,179 for Washington).
  
  

In addition, President Bush's proposal includes investments that support children and adults with disabilities, such as:

• $8.5 billion for special education grants to states, an increase of $1 billion, or 13 percent ($162,180,863 for Washington); and
  
  
• $2.6 billion for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) state grants program, an increase of $134.9 million or 5.4 percent, to help individuals with disabilities prepare for, obtain and retain employment [This proposed investment includes the mandatory inflation increase and a proposed consolidation of three other programs into VR state grants.] ($45,187,329 for Washington).
  
  

President Bush's proposal also includes investments that will help ensure access to postsecondary education for low-income students and families, including $10.9 billion for the Pell Grant program, an increase of $549 million or 5.3 percent. This boost comes on top of the $1.3 billion supplemental for Pell Grants that the president is proposing for fiscal year 2002 in order to maintain the maximum Pell award at the $4,000 level specified by congressional appropriators ($184,700,000 for Washington).

More information about President Bush's proposed budget is available on the Department of Education's Web site at www.ed.gov.

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