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From: Jane Mott
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Arnold
Mitchem
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 12:27
PM
To: Arnold Mitchem
Subject: Shared Sacrifice
Subject: Federal Literacy
Aid Slashed as Part of Budget Deal
>
> Education Week's blogs
> Curriculum Matters Federal Literacy Aid
> Slashed as Part of
Budget Deal By Erik Robelen on March 2, 2011 9:32
> AM | 5 Comments |
Recommend
>
> UPDATED
> Federal support for
literacy was dealt a heavy blow today.
> This afternoon,
President Barack Obama signed into law a stopgap
> spending bill that ends
federal funding for several literacy programs
> at the U.S. Department
of Education, part of a planned government-wide
> reduction of $4
billion. The measure also eliminated or trimmed
> spending for a variety
of other education programs.
> The plan originated in
the House, where Republican leaders insisted
> that cuts be part of
the deal to keep the government running for two
> more weeks. Passage of
the legislation buys lawmakers and the White
> House more time to
negotiate on a longer-term budget plan for fiscal
> 2011. It passed the
House yesterday by a vote of 335-91 and the Senate
> this morning by a vote
of 91-9.
> The cuts include
funding for the $250 million Striving Readers
> program, the $67
million Even Start family-literacy program, the $25
> million Reading Is
Fundamental program, and the $26 million National
> Writing Project.
> To be clear, the cuts
will affect funding for the current fiscal year,
> which began last
October. (Yes, it's fair to say Congress is a little
> behind schedule.) For
the big picture, check out my colleague Alyson
> Klein's post over at
Politics K-12.
> President Obama himself
has repeatedly proposed essentially
> eliminating discrete
funding for these individual programs, but with
> an important caveat: He
wants to replace them with a broader, more
> flexible pot of
competitive dollars for what he's called the Effective
> Teaching and Learning:
Literacy Fund. (He also has proposed to
> consolidate other
programs into two related funds for Effective
> Teaching and Learning
in STEM education and a "Well- Rounded
> Education.") Of
course, the bill approved yesterday in the House,
> which was supported by
nearly all Republicans and more than half of
> the chamber's
Democrats, includes no such larger literacy program.
> The legislation
President Obama signed today also eliminates federal
> aid for a number of
other Education Department offerings, including
> the $40 million Arts in
Education program, the $88 million Smaller
> Learning Communities
program, and the $64 million Leveraging
> Educational Assistance
Partnerships, or LEAP, program.
> One literacy program at
the Education Department that was spared from
> any cuts was the $19
million Improving Literacy Through School
> Libraries program.
> Speaking of literacy
and the federal government, my co-blogger here,
> Catherine, wrote earlier
this week about a new guide to federal aid
> for grade-level reading
proficiency. (Something tells me the guide may
> need a few tweaks after
this week is over.) Catherine also wrote about
> remarks Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan made this week about early
> reading.
>
>
>
>
Kind regards,
Executive Assistant to the President
Council for
202-347-7430
202-347-0786 (fax)
www.coenet.us