Education funding saved: What does it mean?

04-19-2011

Expert Blog/National Journal

President Obama did a remarkably good job protecting education funding in the recent pitched battle with congressional Republicans over spending. Despite disparaging comments from House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., about how Pell Grants are overfunded, there will be money this year to provide the full $5,550 tuition grant for all college students who qualify. Questions from Capitol Hill about Education Secretary Arne Duncan's signature Race to the Top program have been more muted, but it would have been easy for Republicans who think the competitive grants are too dictatorial to zero them out. They didn't. The department has $700 million to continue Race to the Top. Other domestic programs haven't been so lucky. Public housing revitalization programs, for example, lost a collective $1.5 billion in the compromise spending deal that was enacted last week. One program for severely distressed neighborhoods is now operating on half of its fiscal 2010 budget. Is it appropriate to salvage funding for education when other federal programs get cut? (more...)

Also: Response by Diane Ravitch

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