ESEA May Get Done This Year What are the big issues? How About Funding?

1. ESEA May Get Done This YearWhat are the big issues?How About Funding? School superintendents of Alabama March 2, 2011 Bruce Hunter

2. Funding Picture is Muddled

3. HR 1 House – Continuing Resolution • Overview: • March 4 deadline for CR • Passed 235-198, along strict party lines, only three Republicans voted against the bill. • Cuts $61.5 billion from domestic discretionary FY10 funding levels. • Cuts more than $5 billion from the Department of Education.

4. HR 1 House – Continuing Resolution • Education Impact: • Cuts more than $5 billion from USED FY10 budget levels. • Eliminates 60 programs, e.g., • Tech-Prep State Grants $102 million • Reduces funding for 13 (see attached spreadsheet for details on cuts and reductions)

5. HR 1 House – Continuing Resolution • Specifics: • Proposal to cut IDEA funding reversed through McMorris Rodgers amendment (details below) • Cut Title I by $693.5 million (4.8%) • Cuts SIG by $336.6 million (61.7%) • Cuts Teacher Quality State Grants by $500 million (17%) • Cuts 21st Century Community Learning Centers by $100 million (8.6%) • Cuts School Improvement Programs by $67.6 million (1.3%) • REAP is level funded.

6. HR 1 House – Continuing Resolution • McMorris Rodgers Amendment: • Restores $557.7 million to IDEA. • Restores funds by cutting $500 million from ESEA Title II teacher quality state grants and $336.6 million for school improvement grants. • That is an additional cut to ED of $278.85 million. 

7. Senate Action • Senate has not acted • Reid proposed a short term CR (month or 2 weeks)at current levels • House says no must include cuts • Are they headed for a shutdown? • Who would benefit • WASHINGTON (MNI) - "A government shutdown is not an acceptable or responsible option for Republicans," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Friday. By BraiOdion-Esene

8. “The plan Republicans are floating today sounds like a modified version of what Democrats were talking about. We’re glad they think it’s a good idea, but we should keep our focus on what we need to do to cut spending and keep our economy growing in the long-term,” Reid spokesman Jon Summers said in a statement. “But the ‘my way or the highway’ approach Republicans have been taking in the past only signals a desire for a government shutdown that our country can’t afford.

9. House introduced two-week (through march 18) CR that cuts $4 billion. • Impacts on schols: * programs eliminated in the president’s budget request. • Eliminates striving readers ($250 m)* • Eliminates LEAP program ($64 m)* • Eliminated Even Start ($66 m)* • Eliminates Smaller Learning Communities ($88 m)* • Eliminates ‘Earmark’ Programs: • School Improvement ($5 m) • USED Innovation and Improvement ($229 m) • Safe Schools and Citizenship ($32 m) • IDEA ($22 m) (unclear what aspect of IDEA this is)

10. President’s Budget for Education • Overview: • The federal budget is a blueprint that limits spending in each federal agency • The House and Senate are supposed to pass a budget but it does not require the President’s signature – so it is not a law and thus not binding • The 13 appropriations bills must pass and require a Presidential signature and thus are the law and therefore binding

11. President’s Budget for Education • 4.1 percent increase • Consolidates 38 programs into 11 • $1.4 billion in new competitive grant programs mostly from ARRA, rtt, 3i, sig • Percent formula drops from 88% to 84%

12. What about ESEA?

13. Possible Timeline for ESEA • Out of Senate HELP committee by Easter • Through the Senate by June • To the President by August • At least most important parts of ESEA this year • Possible but ambitious • Seems less possible every day

14. Title I of ESEAPurpose? • Original – supplement local efforts to improve outcomes for low income students • NCLB – Control over accountability, assessment, teacher qualifications, and punishments to: • Shed light on achievement in general and the achievement gaps • Drive change through punishment and negative publicity about results • ESEA 2011 - ??

15. Title I of ESEA • Provides the most federal $$ to schools • Definitions control eligibility for ESEA $$ • Accountability controls state testing, reporting & punishments • Teacher requirements control hiring, reporting professional development and punishments • Rules determine administrative costs for ESEA

16. AASA Positions on ESEAOur Heaviest Lifts • Limit the federal oversight to children served with federal funds – in the case of school wide programs –schools served by Title I funds • Separate Accountability and Assessment for learning • Accountability assessments focus on growth (value added if desired) by sampling & including multiple measures • Instructional assessment includes a variety of methods of measuring growth, formative, adaptive, embedded teacher developed, etc., that provide immediate feedback to teachers and administrators

17. AASA Positions on ESEAImproving Standards and Accountability for Students Served with Federal Dollars • Improve the clarity and accuracy of accountability measures. • Less intrusive and less costly testing – e.g., sampling • Measure student progress by growth. • Use multiple sources of information to measure achievement. • Measure special education students in accordance with the Individualized Education Program and not subject to arbitrary percentage caps. • Assess English language learners in a language they understand.

18. Hottest ESEA issue for the 112thTeachers • Compensating teachers • Experience & Degrees • Student outcomes/effectiveness • Evaluating teachers primarily by test scores • Balancing teacher quality • Across all schools • By per pupil costs • Eliminating seniority for assignment • Alternative certification • Special education • Rural isolated districts

19. Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act • Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers and Administrators • Accountability for the effectiveness is a state and local responsibility. • Compensation decisions are a state and local matter. • Evaluations must be created at the local school district. • Permit use of ESEA funds to encourage teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools. • Provide ESEA funds for hard-to-staff schools. • Distribute professional development funds by percentage of poverty. • Local flexibility in professional development programs.

20. Getting All Students Ready for Careers and College • Does this goal make sense for 100 percent of students • Some students function at a low cognitive level –who can actually complete more rigorous college level work • Some students have different life goals and interests • What does it mean to be college ready • Core standards • ACT definition • Achieve definition • What about industry standards? • How to successfully engage students who are disengaged

21. Another Hot ESEA Issue For The 112thCharter Schools – But Why • Parental choice as a policy goal - young parents in particular seem to want charter schools • Improved student outcomes – Controversial • Evidence says - not so much • Anecdotes say – yes

22. Bullying and Harassment • A huge priority for the Obama Administration • Special education • Gender • Sexual orientation • Avoiding more administrivia • Administration and advocates want more data • Better PD needed but one size does not fit all • Local policy improvement – if we don’t the feds will

23. Fighting Fires • Trying to make sense of or defeat • A special education voucher for special education children of active duty military personnel • Vouchers using Title I or other federal funds • Required parental consent in IDEA regulations every time Medicaid is billed for reimbursement for health care services to low income special education students

24. Fighting Fires • Trying to make sense of, defeat or eliminate • A new administrative and transportation mandate for students in foster care – treating them like homeless children under McKinney/Vento • School district’s having sole liability for contacting every state or federal agency storing information on sex offenders and connecting those agencies • Limitations replacing state policy regarding seclusion and restraint of students whose behavior endangers themselves or other students, employees and volunteers