Federal Education Policy Update

1. Federal Education Policy Update Noelle Ellerson Making Connections June 2013

2. The Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law House Senate Bill introduced Bill introduced Referred to E&L Committee Referred to HELP Committee House Floor Consideration Senate Floor Consideration Conference Committee Full House Approves Full Senate Approves Signed by the President

3. What is Going On? • Regulations • Authorizations and Reauthorizations • Budget/Appropriations • Hearings/Mark Ups

4. A Quick Word About Money • At the federal level there are two processes: • Budget – where the amount of money to be spent is set. • Fight for the maximum amount of $ available for education. • Appropriations – where individual program funding levels are set. • Fight for specific education programs.

5. Overview • ESEA: Reauthorization & Waivers • Federal Funding: Sequestration, Appropriations, Fiscal Cliff & Debt Ceiling • Rural Education: REAP • Education Technology: E-Rate & ATTAIN • School Nutrition • Other

6. ESEA: Reauthorizations & Waivers • Reauthorization: It’s a matter of willingness vs. capacity (aka politics) • Administration that dislikes both House and Senate bill • Reality: 38 states in some phase of waiver implementation • Onus is on administration and Congress to make sure reauthorization doesn’t collide with waivers • The bills are coming! Senate Dem bill out yesterday; Senate Rep bill expected this week; House bills as early as next week!

7. ESEA Reauthorization: Both Bills • LAST CONGRESS • Eliminate AYP, AMO, SES, and 100% proficiency • Both return control of assessments and accountability to the states • Both maintain math and ELA testing requirements • Both continue data disaggregation • Reauthorize REAP • Promote growth models and multiple measures • Include computer adaptive assessment • Adjust 1 and 2 percent caps • Require 4 year adjusted cohort graduation rate and allow states to calculate 5 and 6 year rates

8. ESEA Reauthorization: Things to Look for • Standards, Accountability and Assessment • School Improvement/Turn Around • Highly Qualified Teachers • Funding Portability/School Choice • Maintenance of Effort • Comparability • Teacher Evaluation • Funding Flexibility • Class Size Reduction • Ed Tech • RttT and i3

9. ESEA: Reauthorizations & Waivers • Waivers • Administration issued waivers to 35 states • Point of frustration on Capitol Hill • Direct to District Waivers? • CA consortium • “trial run” idea • Texas group • Role of waivers in removing pressure for Congress to act

10. Title I and IDEA Portability • Heard on the Romney campaign trail, reiterated by Representative Eric Cantor • Idea that these funds would follow the child to the school they attend. • Apart from usual opposition to vouchers, there are other implications: • Runs against original congressional intent of Title I • Funds aimed at concentrations of students • Technicalities of how this would work; and, what would happen when (inevitably) students come back?

11. Funding • Federal Appropriations • FY13 started Oct 1, 2012 • Finally wrapped at the end of March • Level funds education progams • Includes across the board cut of 0.2 percent • Does NOT repeal sequestration, meaning cut to all federal K12 programs will be 5.23% • Separate from sequester • FY14 process has started; see later slides!

12. Title I 15% Carryover Waivers • In April, the Dept released a letter to Chief State School Officers indicating the opportunity to purse waivers related to the 15% carryover of Title I funds • USED will allow states to apply for a blanket waiver so they can grant LEAs flexibility to carryover more than 15% of their FY12 Title I funds, in recognition of the impact of sequestration. • Specifically, it allows a waiver to be granted more than once every three years, which is the current statutory limit.

13. Funding • Sequestration • It happened! • 5.1% • Across the board, all K-12 programs, will impact you in 2013-14 school year • IMPACT AID is immediate • Role of Sequester in pulling the level on flexibility re: IDEA MoE • Still not resolved, still opportunity to get it ‘fixed’.

14. US Map: Federal Revenue in Local Edu Budgets

15. Funding: FY14 • House and Senate each passed budget resolutions. • Drastically different; we are likely on course for another CR • House • Maintains sequestration • Funding levels for education are, at best, slightly worse than sequestration • Significant reliance on discretionary spending cuts • Senate • Resolves sequestration, though there would still be cuts to discretionary spending • Maintains investment in education • Includes$20 million for school infrastructure

16. FY14: President’s Request • Dead on arrival (or, even more so than usual!) • Once again highlights education as a funding priority • Once again pushes all new dollars in to competitive programs • $1.2 billion in new funding goes to competition. Level funds Title I and IDEA, along with almost all other programs.

17. FY14 President’s Budget Request • New money in: • STEM • School Safety • i3 and RttT • Charter Schools, Magnet Schools and High School redesign • Promise Neighborhoods • 21st Century • Questionable assumptions • Resolves sequester • ESEA reauthorization • NO funding for education technology • Impact Aid CUT $66 million

18. Rural Education • REAP • Included in base bills with all of AASA’s priorities • Adjust the sliding scale • Locale Code • Eligibility for both programs • Switch poverty indicator to F/RLP • Use REAP to move any federal dollars identified for rural-only competition/set aside • Title I Number Weighting • Concentration vs. Count

21. Education Technology • E-Rate • Anti-Deficiency Act • Raise the cap • Reform the program: discount matrix? Eligible services? • Education Technology • ATTAIN Act • Miller Bills

22. Other • School Nutrition • Vouchers/Charters • Epinephrine Pens • Early Education • Perkins/Career Tech • IDEA Full Funding • And more: • Seclusion/Restraint • IDEA and Due Process • Bullying • School Safety

23. Contact Your Advocacy Team Noelle Ellerson nellerson@aasa.org @Noellerson The Leading Edge Blog: www.aasa.org/aasablog.aspx Legislative Corps: Weekly Summary Advocacy Network: Monthly Advocacy Update Legislative Trends Report Policy Insider www.aasa.org