Press Releases

Congressman Larry Bucshon (IN-8) recently became an original cosponsor of H.R. 1891, the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act.

Congressman Bucshon states:

“For too long, the federal government has increased its role and size within education while being complacent with flat results. There are more than 80 individual programs within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and I believe it is time to eliminate ineffective, redundant, and wasteful education programs in order to ensure education dollars are spent effectively with the singular goal of providing a better education to our children.

The Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act takes a necessary step towards making the federal government’s role in education more efficient and effective by eliminating 43 wasteful education programs. This legislation will help put our fiscal house back in order while enhancing our commitment to education and that is why I have become an original cosponsor.

H.R. 1891 will eliminate wasteful and duplicative education spending.  However, trimming the fat is only the first step and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Education & the Workforce Committee to follow this legislation with much more robust reforms of education.  I am committed, not only to reducing spending and eliminating unnecessary programs as H.R. 1891 does, but also strengthening our schools with reforms that protect taxpayers’ investment in our children, allow teachers to teach, increase local flexibility, and empower parents.”        

BACKGROUND:

Despite the overall tripling of overall per pupil funding since 1964, national academic performance in math and science have largely gone flat, graduation rates have stagnated, and researchers, including the Government Accountability Office (GAO), have found serious shortcomings in many federally authorized education programs.

H.R. 1891 was introduced by Representative Duncan Hunter (CA) on May 13, 2011. If enacted, H.R. 1891 would eliminate 43 federal education programs.

Some examples of programs eliminated are:

Ready to Learn Television: Ready to Learn Television provides funding for the development of educational television. The program received $23.8 million in FY 2008, $25.4 million in FY 2009, and $27.3 million in FY 2010. Funding for Ready to Learn Television was eliminated in the final FY 2011 budget agreement. OMB’s 2004 PART evaluation reported that “program outreach activities have not had substantial effects on student outcomes and parent/caregiver behaviors.”

Close Up Fellowship Program: The Close Up Fellowship program, which is administered by a private foundation, provides financial aid for low-income students, their teachers, and recent immigrants to come to Washington, DC. The program received $1.9 million in FY 2008, 2009, and 2010. The Close Up Fellowship program was not funded in the final FY 2011 budget agreement or the president’s FY 2012 budget request. The program is an earmark because it is awarded noncompetitively to a single entity. It does not serve a federal role and should only be supported by private funds.

School Leadership: The School Leadership program provides grants to recruit, train, and mentor principals for “high-need” school districts. The program received $14.5 million in FY 2008, $19.2 million in FY 2009, and $29.2 million in both FY 2010 and 2011. The president’s FY 2012 budget request consolidates the program. The School Leadership program is duplicative of the ESEA Title II (Teacher Quality State Grants) program and the Teacher Incentive Fund, and was eliminated in President Obama’s FY2012 Budget.

Bilingual and Emergency Immigrant Education Program: The Bilingual and Emergency Immigrant Education program provides funding to school districts that experience unexpectedly large increases in student population due to immigration. The program has not been funded since FY 2001.

Healthy, High–Performance Schools: The Healthy, High-Performance Schools program awards grants to schools for reducing energy use, meeting federal and state health and safety codes, and supporting “healthful, energy efficient, and environmentally sound practices.” The Healthy, High-Performance Schools program has never been funded.

For the full list, please click here: http://edworkforce.house.gov/UploadedFiles/SUMMARY_-_Setting_New_Priorities_in_Education_Spending_Act.pdf

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