Jazmin Flores Peña
Policy Analyst
Last week the Biden administration released its Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Budget. It calls on Congress to fund priorities within each of the Department of Education’s “Raise the Bar” focus areas:
- Achieving Academic Excellence,
- Boldly Improving Learning Conditions,
- Making Postsecondary Education Inclusive and Affordable, and
- Creating Pathways for Global Engagement.
The administration proposed $10.8 billion in new investments for the Department of Education, allocating $90 billion in total discretionary funding, a 13.6% increase from last year’s enacted level. That includes:
- A $2.2 billion increase for Title I. This budget does not repeat last year’s proposal to provide significant, new mandatory funding, but would increase Title I funding by 12% to $20.5 billion.
- $200 million for Career-Connected High Schools. While state grants for CTE see a $43 million, or 3%, increase, we’re especially excited the budget proposes $215 million for CTE national programs, of which $200 million would support competitive grants for Career-Connected High Schools. This innovative program, proposed in President Biden’s budget last year, received $25 million in December’s omnibus appropriations bill. Additional funding would further integrate programs across high schools, institutions of higher education, and employers and connect high school students to the college and career experiences they need to secure a good-paying job
Finally, the budget proposal also allocates $96 billion over ten years in new mandatory spending for Pell Grants, aiming to double the maximum Pell Grant by 2029. The budget increases the maximum Pell award for FY 2024 to $8,215, an $820 increase above the FY 2023 enacted level.
Jazmin Flores Peña is a policy analyst.
