FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY UPDATE

Noelle Ellerson

MAISA Annual Summer Conference

June 2013

WHAT IS GOING ON?

Regulations Authorizations and Reauthorizations Budget/Appropriations Hearings/Mark Ups

OVERVIEW

ESEA: Reauthorization & Waivers Federal Funding: Sequestration,

Appropriations, Fiscal Cliff & Debt Ceiling Rural Education: REAP Education Technology: E-Rate & ATTAIN School Nutrition Other

ESEA: REAUTHORIZATIONS & WAIVERS

Reauthorization: It’s a matter of willingness vs. capacity (aka politics)

Administration that dislikes both House and Senate bill

Reality: 38 states in some phase of waiver implementation Onus is on administration and Congress to make

sure reauthorization doesn’t collide with waivers The bills are……here. And reported out of

committee!

ESEA REAUTHORIZATION: HOUSE BILL Eliminate AYP, AMO,

SES, and 100% proficiency

Return control of assessments and accountability to the states

Maintains math and ELA testing requirements; adds science

Continues data disaggregation

Reauthorizes REAP

Promotes growth models and multiple measures

Includes computer adaptive assessment

Adjusts 1 and 2 percent caps

Requires 4 year adjusted cohort graduation rate and allow states to calculate 5, 6 and 7 year rates

ESEA REAUTHORIZATION: SENATE BILL More or less eliminates

AYP, AMO, SES, and 100% proficiency

SAG (Sufficient Academic Growth), performance targets and student achievement levels

Prescriptive in intervention (who and how)

Both return control of assessments and accountability to the states

Has math, ELA and science testing requirements

Maintains data disaggregation

Reauthorizes REAP Promotes growth models

and multiple measures Includes computer

adaptive assessment Adjusts 1 and 2 percent

caps Requires 4 year adjusted

cohort graduation rate Includes Ed Tech program Expanded school climate

requirements (SNDA)

ESEA REAUTHORIZATION: THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Standards, Accountability and Assessment School Improvement/Turn Around Highly Qualified Teachers Funding Portability/School Choice Maintenance of Effort Comparability Teacher Evaluation Funding Flexibility Class Size Reduction Ed Tech RttT and i3

ESEA: REAUTHORIZATIONS & WAIVERS

Waivers Administration issued waivers to 35 states Point of frustration on Capitol Hill

Direct to District Waivers? CA consortium

“trial run” idea Texas group

Role of waivers in removing pressure for Congress to act

TITLE I AND IDEA PORTABILITY

Heard on the Romney campaign trail, reiterated by Representative Eric Cantor

Idea that these funds would follow the child to the school they attend.

Apart from usual opposition to vouchers, there are other implications: Runs against original congressional intent of Title

I Funds aimed at concentrations of students Technicalities of how this would work; and, what

would happen when (inevitably) students come back?

TEACHER EVAL & ASSESSMENT WAIVERS

Earlier this week, USED announced flexibility states in two specific areas: Delayed implementation for using student

growth on state tests as a factor in staffing decisions

Frozen accountability for states/locals implementing field tests of online assessments

TITLE I 15% CARRYOVER WAIVERS

In April, the Dept released a letter to Chief State School Officers indicating the opportunity to purse waivers related to the 15% carryover of Title I funds

USED will allow states to apply for a blanket waiver so they can grant LEAs flexibility to carryover more than 15% of their FY12 Title I funds, in recognition of the impact of sequestration.

Specifically, it allows a waiver to be granted more than once every three years, which is the current statutory limit.

FUNDING

Federal Appropriations FY13 started Oct 1, 2012 Finally wrapped at the end of March Level funds education progams Includes across the board cut of 0.2 percent Does NOT repeal sequestration, meaning cut to

all federal K12 programs will be 5.23% Separate from sequester

FY14 process has started; see later slides!

US MAP: FEDERAL REVENUE IN LOCAL EDU BUDGETS

FUNDING: FY14 House and Senate each passed budget

resolutions. Drastically different; we are likely on course for

another CR House

Maintains sequestration Funding levels for education are, at best, slightly

worse than sequestration Significant reliance on discretionary spending cuts

Senate Resolves sequestration, though there would still be

cuts to discretionary spending Maintains investment in education Includes$20 million for school infrastructure

FY14: PRESIDENT’S REQUEST

Dead on arrival (or, even more so than usual!)

Once again highlights education as a funding priority

Once again pushes all new dollars in to competitive programs

$1.2 billion in new funding goes to competition. Level funds Title I and IDEA, along with almost all other programs.

FY14 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST

New money in: STEM School Safety i3 and RttT Charter Schools,

Magnet Schools and High School redesign

Promise Neighborhoods

21st Century

Questionable assumptions Resolves sequester ESEA reauthorization

NO funding for education technology

Impact Aid CUT $66 million

RURAL EDUCATION

REAP Included in base bills with all of AASA’s priorities

Adjust the sliding scale Locale Code Eligibility for both programs Switch poverty indicator to F/RLP

Use REAP to move any federal dollars identified for rural-only competition/set aside

Title I Number Weighting Concentration vs. Count

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

E-Rate Anti-Deficiency Act Raise the cap Reform the program: discount matrix? Eligible

services? Education Technology

ATTAIN Act Miller Bills

OTHER

School Nutrition Vouchers/Charters Epinephrine Pens Early Education Perkins/Career Tech IDEA Full Funding And more:

Seclusion/Restraint IDEA and Due Process Bullying School Safety

CONTACT YOUR ADVOCACY TEAM

Noelle Ellersonnellerson@aasa.org

@Noellerson

The Leading Edge Blog: www.aasa.org/aasablog.aspx

Legislative Corps: Weekly SummaryAdvocacy Network: Monthly Advocacy

UpdateLegislative Trends Report

Policy Insiderwww.aasa.org