ED Answers Some of the Senate’s Questions On Education Policy

On March 1st, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on the Obama administration’s fiscal year 2012 budget request for the Department of Education featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. During the hearing, Senators are able to ask Secretary Duncan various questions about the administration’s plans for education policy and spending. After the hearing Senators often choose to submit formal questions to the Department of Education to get further details on a specific program. The Department composes formal responses to these questions and compiles them in one document. This year, five Senators chose to ask questions – Murray (D-WA), Wyden (D-OR), Sessions (R-AL), Cornyn (R-TX), Graham (R-SC) – on a variety of topics including teacher evaluations, rural schools, STEM education, the Education Jobs Fund, and student loans and grants. Though few of the questions are particularly hard-hitting, the responses reveal some details of the Administration’s plans we have yet to see fully fleshed out.

For example, Senator Wyden asked two questions about rural schools and federal grant programs including Investing in Innovation (i3) and Race to the Top. In its response, the Department of Education makes clear that they plan to create a dedicated fund within Race to the Top for rural districts if Congress chooses to provide the program with additional funding in fiscal year 2011 or 2012. Additionally, the Department mentioned that it recently published a notice in the Federal Register that stated that they plan to use competitive grant programs to specifically address high school graduation rates in rural areas.

Senator Cornyn asked a question about the currently unobligated Education Jobs Funds that were intended for South Carolina and Texas. However, neither state has been able to submit a successful application for the funds. South Carolina is unable to meet the maintenance of effort provision of the law and Texas is unable to make the funding assurances required in a special provision of the law that applies only to Texas. According to the provision, Texas must guarantee a certain level of funding for education in fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013 to receive the funds. The Department stated in its response that unless either state is able to submit a successful application, the unobligated funds will be returned to the Treasury at the end of fiscal year 2011. The Department also confirmed that Texas must fulfill the strict assurance requirements to receive the funds – there is no way for the state to work around the requirement.

Senator Cornyn also asked about the status of funding for Teach For America (TFA), which typically receives about $18 million in federal support annually. The Obama administration, however, has proposed rolling the TFA funds into a larger competitive grant program that would force TFA to submit a grant proposal for the funds and take part in a traditional federal grant competition. Though this new structure would not guarantee TFA a federal funding stream, the Department contends that TFA would have ample opportunities to compete for the funds while simultaneously ensuring that other programs also get a fair chance at the funds. Interestingly, the current Continuing Resolution that provides fiscal year 2011 funding through today, March 18th, cut federal funding entirely for TFA based on claims that it was an earmark.

The full question and answer document can be downloaded here.