On March 28, the Biden Administration released the president’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request. The request, which serves as a blueprint for Congress to appropriate federal funds, included a disappointing $25 million cut to the Perkins Basic State Grant compared to FY 2022 levels. That said, it is important to note that this budget request was created without taking funding levels from FY 2022 (in which Perkins received a $45 million increase) into account. Department of Education officials have stated that they will work with Congress to ensure that cuts are not made to any education programs, however, this merely means they will only advocate for level funding. The plan also proposes $200 million for a new Career-Connected High Schools Initiative that would issue competitive grants to approximately 32 programs to support early enrollment in postsecondary and career-connected coursework, work-based learning, and career-connected instruction.
ACTE and Advance CTE have issued a joint statement urging Congress to go beyond the president’s request by significantly increasing funding for CTE and will continue advocating for bolder investments.
Overall, the Department of Education would receive a 17% increase in this proposal from the FY 2022 enacted level. The main themes, as described by agency officials, include combating the effects of COVID-19 on K-12 students, addressing achievement and opportunity gaps for underserved populations, investing in the educator workforce, improving college affordability, and creating more pathways into postsecondary education. Across all federal agencies, the proposal did give several programs noteworthy increases, including:
Secondary Education
- 17% increase for Every Student Succeeds Act Title I state grants to local education agencies
- 123% increase for Teacher Quality Partnership grants
- 22% increase for students with disabilities
- 20% increase for magnet school programs
- $1 billion for grants to increase access to school-based mental health professionals
Postsecondary Education & Workforce
- 29% increase for Apprenticeship Expansion Grants
- 7% increase for Adult Education, including:
- $15 million for college bridge programs for low-skilled adults
- $10 million for disconnected youth
- $1,775 increase to the maximum Pell grant award
Early Childhood Education & Childcare
- 18% increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant
- 5% increase for Head Start
- 5% increase for Preschool Development Grants
- $40 million for institutions providing affordable childcare for low-income student parents
While significant, the president’s budget request only represents a starting point in what will be months of negotiation in Congress. Democrats will be highly motivated to pass an FY23 budget before the end of the year, especially should they lose control over either the House of Representatives or the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. They will need at least 10 Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the final bill.
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