Where’s the Money?
Two bills, passed by the House and Senate in late 2005, promise damaging cuts to public education, if passed by President Bush. In one, the education appropriations bill, Congress actually cut education funding for the first time in a decade. In the other, Congress set up a nationwide voucher bill. As a result of both, the federal share of special education funding will fall from 18.6 to 17.8 percent, or a total of $7 million. And, even as schools struggle to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, the bills also cut funding for NCLB by $1 billion. At the same time, the Senate eliminated $12.7 billion in student aid. “Today is a sad day for children and students,” said NEA President Reg Weaver.
More Changes Afoot?
Senators approved a bill late last year that could dramatically change what happens in high schools. For the first time, the federal government would rate the academic rigor of high schools.
The measure would provide financial grants to low-income students who have completed a “rigorous” program—but it’d be up to the U.S. Department of Education to decide what that means, which could include matters of high school curriculum.
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