Last week, President Biden issued the State Of The Union address and earlier this week, he unveiled the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request with details on how the administration proposes to implement the items discussed in the State of the Union, and more.
In the State Of The Union address, President Biden outlined a comprehensive education agenda. Biden said he wants to increase access to pre-school for 3- and 4-year olds while also “connecting businesses and high schools so students get hands-on experience and a path to a good-paying job whether or not they go to college.”
In addition, he said he wants to make college more affordable by increasing Pell Grants, investments in HBCUs and Hispanic and Minority-serving Institutions, and by fixing student loans.
In addition to new policies and programs, the President issued a call to end book bans, saying: “Instead of erasing history, let’s make history.”
The FY 2025 Budget Request provides the administration’s road map for implementing the President’s agenda. The Budget Request is issued each year and outlines how much funding the administration is asking Congress to provide for each federal program.
Ultimately, Congress decides how much money each program will receive. However, the Budget Request gets the process started and sets the stage for these negotiations.
President Biden’s Budget Request asks for $82 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, an increase of $3.1 billion or 3.9% from 2023. We’re comparing funding to 2023, not 2024, because Congress is several months late in providing funding for 2024.
That process could conclude this month. We’ll have more on that later. In the meantime, we’ll share some highlights from the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request:
- For Title I, the federal government’s largest program supporting children from low-income families, the Administration is asking for a $200 million increase, which would bring Title I to $18.6 billion. Funding for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would also receive a $200 million increase, bringing that program to $14.3 billion.
- The Budget Request proposes to keep most programs at the same funding level they had in FY 2023. For example, funding for professional learning under Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is proposed to receive $2.1 billion and after-school programs funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program would receive $1.3 billion. Similarly, Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants would receive $1.3 billion.
- The Budget request includes increases for a few programs, including English Language Acquisition under Title III, which would receive an increase of $50 million, bringing the program to $940 million. Full-Service Community Schools would also receive an increase of $50 million, bringing that program to $200 million.
One of All4Ed’s top priorities is creating greater alignment between high school, higher education, and the workforce. We’re pleased to see President Biden propose $57 million for the Career-Connected High School program, more than double the amount it received in 2023.
In addition, President Biden is proposing a new $7 billion Classroom to Career program that would expand access to dual enrollment. States would receive matching funds to offer at least 12 career-connected dual credits to high school students for free.
Another major proposal in the Budget Request is for Academic Acceleration and Achievement Grants. This new $8 billion program is intended to continue the administration’s efforts to support academic recovery from the pandemic. Funding would be used by schools identified for support under ESSA and other low-income schools to increase student attendance and engagement; provide high-dosage tutoring; and expanding summer, extended, and afterschool learning opportunities.
Finally, the Budget Request would make college more affordable for 7.2 million students by increasing the maximum Pell Grant by $750 to $8,145.
It’s important to remember that these are all proposals from the Biden Administration. Ultimately, the president and Congress will negotiate a final spending package for Fiscal Year 2025, a process that isn’t likely to conclude until after the 2024 election.
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