Fiscal Year 2010 Education Funding Finalized

This past weekend the Senate passed the fiscal year 2010 omnibus appropriations bill, setting out spending levels for the majority of Department of Education programs for the spending period that began October 1^st, 2009. The House of Representatives passed the same bill last Thursday and the president is expected to sign it into law shortly. Today, the Federal Education Budget Project published its “2010 Education Appropriations Guide,” a helpful tool for interpreting the otherwise complex appropriations process.

Unsurprisingly, the now finalized fiscal year 2010 appropriations for Department of Education programs do not represent drastic changes in spending levels from the 2009 levels. In fact, both Title I Part A and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B were flat funded at 2009 levels. Pell Grants, the largest federal education program, received a slight increase in funding – $207 million – for a total of $17.5 billion.

However, some significant changes did occur. The 2010 appropriations bill eliminates the Early Reading First program, which currently provides funding for early literacy and language centers. The program with likely be replaced by an expanded version of the Striving Readers program, which received an increase of nearly $215 million. Similarly, the bill zeroes out funding for Safe and Drug Free Schools State Grants, but increases funding for National Grants under the same program. Finally, the omnibus provides $50 million in funding for a new High School Graduation Initiative, a program requested by the president.

The “2010 Education Appropriations Guide,” including full descriptions, tables, and analyses of these changes and other notable appropriations can be downloaded here.