Dear Colleague:
As you may have read in this morning’s Washington Post [“NEA, States
Challenge 'No Child' Program”], school districts in Michigan, Vermont,
and Texas filed a Federal lawsuit yesterday charging the U.S. Department
of Education with underfunding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
In 2005, these three states received nearly $1 billion less than promised
under the education reform law.
Unfortunately, the history of NCLB is one of broken promises to America’s
schoolchildren and their parents.
- Since Congress first provided funding for NCLB in 2002, annual appropriations
increases for the Act have declined each year – from $3.5 billion
in 2002 to virtually no increase in 2005. If the 2006 Republican budget
is adopted, school districts will receive less than an inflationary
increase for NCLB at the same time the law requires them to do more.
- As funding increases for NCLB have declined, the funding gap between
what was promised by NCLB and what was provided has grown each year.
In 2002, the NCLB shortfall was $4.2 billion. If the Republican budget
is adopted that shortfall will increase to $12 billion in 2006.
- If the 2006 Republican budget is adopted, school districts will
have received a total of $39 billion less than was promised under
NLCB.
Prospects for education funding under the 2006 Republican budget look
grim. The Republican budget would deliver the first cut to total education
spending in a decade. As a result:
- 2.9 million disadvantaged children would not receive the tutoring
they were promised under NCLB to raise their achievement in reading
and math.
- Teacher quality state grants would be frozen at $2.9 billion,
$258 million less than promised under NCLB, denying 56,000 teachers
high-quality professional development.
- Funding for after-school centers would be frozen at about $1 billion
for the fourth straight year under the Republican Budget, about $1.3
billion less than promised under NCLB. As a result, 1.7 million fewer
needy children would benefit from extra learning and enrichment activities
than envisioned in NCLB.
Attached please find a series of charts detailing the growing shortfalls
in NLCB funding and how President Bush and Congressional Republicans
have slowly walked away from 2002’s bipartisan commitment to provide
more resources for education reform. I have also included a state-by-state
analysis of Title I funding – the key driver of education reform – under
the 2006 Republican budget. I hope you will find this information of
use.
Bush Budget Cuts Education
Growth of NCLB Shortfall
NCLB Funding Gap
Bush Budget Title I State-by-State
Sincerely,
DAVID R. OBEY
Member of Congress
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