WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., pulled a $1.2 trillion spending bill off the floor of the Senate this week, extra money for K-12 public schools went with it ? at least for now, according to an analysis by Education Week.
Facing a showdown over earmarks, Reid pulled the measure on Thursday, according to Education Week. The bill covered the majority of federal government programs, including education. Within it was a second round of money for “Investing in Innovation,” a grant program intended to scale up promising school practices, as well as a new fund to improve early childhood education, the report said. Those may never be funded if incoming conservative lawmakers carry through on a pledge to curtail federal spending, according to Education Week.
Federal funding for K-12 programs now is likely to be flat for another year, although advocates had pushed for more Title I money for disadvantaged children as well as increased special education funds, Education Week reported.
The Senate may instead pass a short-term extension bill that funds programs at current levels until new lawmakers take their seats, according to the report.
SOURCE:
Education Week, “Senate Pulls Spending Bill with Money for
Early Ed, i3,” Dec. 17, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, “How School Funding
Works: Myths About Michigan’s Foundation Allowance,” May 12, 2010
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