More Resources Testimony

Describing President Bush's proposed FY 2006 Education Department $56 billion budget as "strong and focused," U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings told a Senate panel today that the proposal not only continues the progress made under the No Child Left Behind law, but expands it to America's high schools and also brings greater accessibility to higher education.

"This budget expands the promise of No Child Left Behind to our nation's high schools," Spellings told members of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. "Call it what you will—a challenge, a problem or a crisis. But it is imperative that we give our high schools the tools to succeed in an economy in which 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs will require some post-secondary education." She noted that only 68 out of 100 entering ninth-graders will receive their high school diploma on time. And, a recent study by the Manhattan Institute showed that two-thirds of students leave high school without the skills to succeed in college.

To meet the challenges facing our nation's high schools, Spellings noted, the president's budget includes $1.24 billion for High School Intervention, a program to give high school students the academic skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. And to increase accountability, the budget provides $250 million for high school assessments so that principals and teachers will have new tools and data to better meet the learning needs of individual students.

Other budget items targeted at improving high school performance are an additional $175 million to expand the Striving Readers program that helps teenagers who are reading below grade level catch up before they drop out; $120 million for a new Secondary Education Mathematics Initiative to raise math achievement in our high schools; and $51.5 million—a 73 percent increase—in funding for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs to reach more low-income and minority students, to train teachers and defray costs such as exam fees; and $12 million—a 380 percent increase—for the rigorous State Scholars Program to increase the number of high school students who have the solid academic foundation necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and in an increasingly competitive labor market.

"Congress overwhelmingly passed this bipartisan law just over three years ago," Spellings said. "Today, across the country, test scores are rising, schools are improving, and the achievement gap is beginning to close for our youngest learners. We must stay the course."

Spellings noted that the president's proposed budget increases Title I grants for disadvantaged children to local educational agencies—the "engines" of No Child Left Behind—by $603 million to $13.3 billion over FY 2005 levels. If enacted, she said, this would represent a 52 percent increase in direct Title I funding since the NCLB's passage. The budget also calls for a $508 million increase to $11.1 billion for special education grants to the states. If enacted, this would represent a 75 percent increase over the past five years. And, the budget provides $500 million to help ensure that there are highly qualified teachers in every classroom.

The third key element of the president's proposed FY 2006 budget, Spellings said, is its commitment to expand accessibility to higher education. The budget would provide $19 billion over 10 years in mandatory funds for Pell Grants, resulting from student loan program reforms. This change will retire the funding shortfall, and help more than five million recipients attend college next year alone, she noted. The maximum individual grant would increase by $100 each year for the next five years, from $4,050 to $4,550 per year, and grants would be made available year-round so students can learn on their own timetable.

Spellings said that with the passage of the president's proposed budget, aid for higher education would have risen under the Bush administration from $48 billion to $78 billion. "The common thread in all of the president's priorities is aligning needs with results," she said. "We want to work with you to make the very best choices for America."

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