Let the Funding Debate Begin!

Now that Republican and Democratic presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama have both released their education agendas, Ed Money Watch has decided to examine the federal education funding implications of both plans. While both candidates’ plans leave some questions unanswered, the differences between them on education funding are stark.

Sen. Obama’s platform would increase federal funding for K-12 and early education programs by $18 billion annually. The largest share of that new funding-$10 billion-would go to Obama’s “zero to five” early education plan to improve the quality and availability of childcare, preschool, and Head Start programs. Obama’s proposal would more than double the current federal investment in early childhood programs such as Head Start and the Child Development Block Grant.

Fewer details exist on where the additional $8 billion intended for K-12 education reforms would go, however. Obama proposes significant investments in improving teacher preparation and quality, including $100 million to stimulate school-university partnerships for teacher education, $1 billion for teacher mentoring programs, and an unspecified amount to provide college scholarships of up to $25,000 to recruit 40,000 new teachers. But the campaign hasn’t provided a price tag for many other teacher quality proposals, including the most significant ones.

Obama’s proposal also includes $200 million for state grants for extended learning time, and would double the current funding level ($1.08 billion) for the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program. Obama has also proposed doubling the current $260 million federal investment in education research and development. According to the campaign, these investments will be paid for by cutting programs and utilizing tax loopholes elsewhere in the federal budget to funnel money into education.

Sen. John McCain, in contrast, has said that he will freeze all federal discretionary spending until his administration determines which programs are actually working. Within that set funding amount, he will provide $250 million in grants to states to develop new virtual learning curricula and programs, and provide $250 million in scholarships for low-income students to take online coursework or tutoring. These programs would be paid for in part by repurposing the $267 current federal investment in Education Technology State Grants. McCain would also increase funding for DC’s Opportunity Scholarships to $20 million, and reallocate 65% of the $2.9 billion in NCLB Title II teacher quality funds to teacher recruitment and performance pay bonuses.

McCain’s platform also talks about providing school principals greater autonomy in their use of federal funds, but is unclear about how he would do that. Senator McCain has voted against fully funding No Child Left Behind and has not yet said whether he will support increases in funding for education programs to keep up with increased student population or inflation.

We look forward to seeing more details on both McCain’s and Obama’s education funding plans, particularly which programs they plan to cut to make new program spending possible. This is just a taste of the education debate that’s yet to come. And if our event last Thursday was any indication, the audience for a conversation on education is large and ready and waiting for more.