States Get Reimbursed for 1.5% Perkins Cut

By: Jamie Baxter

In October 2011, states saw a 1.5 percent cut in their Perkins allocations. This cut was the result of a continuing resolution bill that applied a temporary across-the-board cut to advance appropriations in order to meet specific budget caps. In the final funding bill that Congress passed in December, those original 1.5 percent across-the-board cuts were replaced with a smaller 0.189 percent cut to all discretionary programs. Since the final cut was smaller than initially proposed, states were told they would be reimbursed the difference.

Recently, the Department of Education sent the difference between the 1.5 percent and the 0.189 percent, 1.31 percent of the original Perkins allocation, back to states. This may result in additional local funding as well, depending on how your state initially applied the cut. You can view your state’s allocations here.