Wrapping Up the 111 th Session of Congress: Federal Education Policy Update

1. Wrapping Up the 111th Session of Congress: Federal Education Policy Update Noelle Ellerson American Association of School Administrators

2. Economic Environment • State and local economies struggling to experience the stability and recovery starting to take hold at the federal level. • Continued issue of supplement/supplant from ARRA and, now, education jobs fund. • Confluence of the end of ARRA (2010-11/2011-12 school years) and the delayed economic recovery represent very real obstacle to schools as they try to balance increased emphasis on innovation with ever slimmer operating budgets.

3. Obama Budget Proposal • FY11 budget proposal released Feb 1 (2011-12 school year) • Despite tight economic times, including non-defense discretionary budget freeze, education receives historic increases • Proposal includes massive restructuring in ESEA reauthorization • Despite overall increases: • Title I was level funded • IDEA received a $250 million increase, remaining at 17% instead of the promised 40%

4. Obama Budget Proposal • 65% increase in the proportion of discretionary education dollars moving through competitive grants • AASA has a position in favor of formula grants. USED 2010

5. Obama Budget Proposal

6. Obama Budget Proposal • Despite overall increases:

7. FY 11 Appropriations • The House and Senate Approps Cmtes announced caps for FY11 discretionary spending. The Senate cap is roughly $14 billion below the administration, and the House cap is $7 below. • House LHHS markup includes a discretionary increase above FY10 of $2.04 billion (3.2% increase) • Includes $5.67 billion for Pell • $400 m increase for Title I • $153 m increase for IDEA • Next step? CR thru 12/3, then either a CR into new Congress or an omnibus in lame duck.

8. Emergency Education Jobs Bill • $10 billion in education jobs funding and $16.1 billion in FMAP funding • All but 2 states applied (SC and WY). • Current issues? • Supplement/supplant • Maintenance of effort • State pass-through of funds

9. Title I Funding Equity • There will be a formula fight within ESEA reauthorization. • Title I allocations are made up of four formulas: • Basic Grant, Concentration Grant, Targeted Grant, Education Finance Incentive Grant • Idea is to focus on concentrations of poverty • Current law uses numbers or percentages • Since NCLB, all new money in Title I has been split between the Targeted Grant and the Education Finance Incentive Grant. • Focus on percentages of poverty for equity

10. Serving Schools Most in Need • School Turnaround Grants will be targeted to bottom 5% performing schools in each states. • Schools will have to choose one of four possible interventions. • Turnaround – fire principal and 50% of staff, institute a new curriculum • Restart – close school and restart as a charter or under an educational management organization • School Closure – close school and send students to other schools • Transformation – fire principal, grant new budgeting and scheduling flexibility, new curriculum, intensive professional development, community schools model • A fifth “research based” option will be available to some

11. Focusing on Teachers and Leaders • Cuts Title II, Part A formula by $450 million. • All states would be required to develop a definition of effective teachers and principals. • Will require all states to link evaluations of teachers and principals to student achievement. • Sets up a federal evaluation criteria:

12. Creating a Better School Climate • Successful, Safe and Healthy Students • Competitive grant program to improve school climate by reducing drug use, violence or harassment • Focus on student physical health and nutrition, mental health and well being • Extensive school climate survey required • $210 million proposed for Promise Neighborhood • Based on Harlem Children’s Zone: comprehensive services to meet needs of the total child

13. Reauthorization of REAP Some changes need to be made to improve REAP in the coming reauthorization. Specifically, a number of districts are no longer receiving a financial benefit from the program despite qualifying. Allow districts to choose which program to apply under. Raise the sliding scale from $20,000 - $60,000 to $25,000 - $70,000. For the Rural & Low-income program, use free and reduced lunch instead of census. Update Locale codes. Support the REAP Reauthorization Act HR 2446 & S 1052

14. Secure Rural Counties and Schools • In late 2008, an omnibus legislative package included a four-year extension of SRSCA and five years of full funding for PILT • In Jan. 2010 the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition Launched a new legislative initiative, The Partnership for Rural America Campaign, a two-year legislative effort to secure long-term reauthorization of SRSCA, providing 8-10 years of funding at the 2010 level. • Ongoing campaign includes push for line item request in administration's FY12 budget proposal

15. Increased Congressional support for common core (not national) standards. CCSSO and NGA have joined together with 48 states and territories to develop them. Draft standards were released in March and open for comment until April 2nd. States may choose to include additional standards beyond the common core as long as the common core represents at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English language arts and mathematics. What if Congress requires adoption of common core in order to receive Title I? Still unclear what Congress sees as their role in this. Certain competitive grants will give priority to Common Core states Common Core Standards

18. The First Lady’s Obesity Initiative • First Lady announced large initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation. • Schools • Physical Fitness • Healthy & Affordable Foods • Empowering Families with the Right Information • Pledge to increase number of US Healthy Schools – A Department of Agriculture program http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/index.html

19. Child Nutrition Act/ School Lunch • Reauthorization is split into two topics of discussion: • Nutritional Standards • Increasing the nutritional content of school lunch. • Conversations over the restriction of sales of types of food on school property. • Needs to have school sponsored event exception. • Programmatic Operation • Increasing direct certification to include Medicaid. • S 1737 to would convert all reduced price lunches to free lunches over four years.

20. Child Nutrition Act/ School Lunch • Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (continued) • Problem Areas in the Bill • Mandatory yearly training for all food service personnel • Absolutely no funding is provided • All Food Service Directors will have to meet new national education, training and certification requirements • Could be a problem for rural schools • Provisions that have the federal government limiting flexibility in school district budgeting. • National calculation of school lunch price • Competitive food restrictions • Calculation of indirect rate study

21. Vouchers • Senate Armed Services Committee passed the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (S 3454), which included an amendment that would provide $7,500 in government funds to military families with special needs children to use to pay for tuition at a private or a different public school. • Many of the protections touted by proponents of this amendment are already provided to students under IDEA. • Current provisions and requirements of IDEA provide better services for the child. The ultimate goal is providing services, something guaranteed through IDEA but not the voucher. • Would reduce Impact Aid for all federally connected schools.

22. Next Steps: Time for You to Get Involved • ESEA Reauthorization is on the move. Make sure your voice is heard!! • Superintendents and federal program coordinators have a unique expertise when it come to the ins and outs of educating children. • The timeline for action will be quick, even if they don’t complete it this year. Need to weigh in early and often. • ESEA Reauthorization will be high stakes impacting all education “reform” going forward. • Take the time to educate your senators and representatives of the good work being done in schools to improve student achievement.

23. Questions? Noelle Ellerson Assistant Director, Policy Analysis & Advocacy American Association of School Administrators (703) 875-0764nellerson@aasa.org