Title I Funding Gaps (FY 2002 – 2006)

The Gap Between Actual and Authorized Levels

See the annual level of Title I funding from 2002 to 2006  (PDF, 52k, 2pgs). The figures for the 2006 fiscal year reflect the amount provided in the education funding bill passed by the House (H.R. 3010). That bill increased Title I funding only $100 million, or 0.8 percent -- $503 million below the President's request. Congress has not yet concluded work on the 2006 education funding bill; therefore, a final number is not available.

While Title I funding has increased over the period, there is a growing disparity between the "appropriated" (actual) funding and the level "authorized" (maximum level allowed) for any given year. The disparity is so large that it has reached a cumulative $30.8 billion for the period, with appropriations for the period amounting to only 66.6 percent of the amount authorized.

Due to this gap, nine states and two-thirds of all school districts will receive less Title I funding in the 2005-06 school year than they did in the previous school year.