Federal Education Budget Project Launch

Ed Money Watch is proud to announce the launch of New America’s new Federal Education Budget Project, a non-partisan, authoritative source of information on federal education funding for policymakers, state and local officials, the media, non-profit organizations, and the general public. Ed Money Watch is just one of a host of Federal Education Budget Project resources available to answer your questions regarding, and keep you up-to-date with developments in, the world of education finance, and particularly federal funding for education.

On the FEBP website, you’ll find information on spending, demographics, achievement, and federal program funding for every state and school district in the country—including the earliest available estimates of district Title I allocations under the President’s budget proposal and Congressional appropriations legislation. Easy-to-use web tools enable you to compare states or school districts based on funding, achievement, or demographic characteristics, and you can also download district-level datasets by state to conduct your own research or analyses. The FEBP website is also home to a continually growing body of independent research and analysis by FEBP policy staff on all facets of federal education finance, including the federal budget process, student financial aid, NCLB, IDEA, and the National School Lunch Program.

If you have already checked out the new FEBP website, thank you for your helpful comments – we look forward to continuously improving our website and expanding the array of resources available based on your comments and the needs of policymakers, researchers and the public. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, please do so here. We know you’ll find the resources, information, and data helpful in making the federal education budget process more transparent and accessible.

And if you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, please join us on June 12 for a forum introducing FEBP to policymakers, the media, and key stakeholders. The forum will include a virtual tour of the FEBP website, and a panel of distinguished guests will discuss the federal education budget process and the outlook for education funding this year and under a new administration and Congress in 2009. Panelists include:

• Bob Greenstein, Executive Director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, will discuss the role of think tanks in the budget process and current and long-term budget projections for low-income families;
• Ellen Murray, Staff Director, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations, will comment on the role of Congress in the budget process;
• David Rowe, Director, Education Division, Office of Management and Budget, will comment on the political process of developing and communicating the President’s budget; and
• Tom Skelly, Director, Budget Service, U.S. Department of Education, will discuss the education budget in administration transition years.

For readers outside the Washington, D.C., area, a full video of the forum will be available here and on the FEBP website shortly after the event.

For more information and to register for the event, please go here.