Legislative Outlook 112 th Congress 1 st Session Ellen Fern Washington Partners, LLC [email protected] March 18, 2011
Dec 01, 2014
Legislative Outlook 112th Congress
1st Session
Ellen Fern Washington Partners, LLC
[email protected] March 18, 2011
112th Congress Overview
Department of Education Congress
Congressional Leadership and Committee Membership Issues
Federal FY 2011 Budget Status Federal FY 2012 Budget
Budget Outline Education Overview
Congressional Education Agenda Overview WIA ESEA Dream Act
Department of Education Leadership
U.S. Secretary of Education – Arne Duncan Jo Anderson, Jr. – Senior Advisor Focus on outreach to teachers and teacher
organizations
Office of the Deputy Secretary (ODS) – Tony Miller Handles K-12 policy including ESEA, ELL, Innovation and Improvement, IDEA
Office of English Language Acquisition Assistant Deputy Secretary Dr. Rosalinda Barrera
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Assistant Secretary Thelma Meléndez
Department of Education Leadership
Office of the Undersecretary – Martha Kanter Oversees policies, programs and activities related to vocational and adult education, postsecondary education and college aid. Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary
Office of Community Colleges Frank Chong Ed.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary
Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) Cheryl Keenan, Director
Congress – Democratic Majority U.S. Senate Leadership
Senate Majority Leader – Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) 51:47:2
Senate Minority Leader – Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Appropriations Committee Chairman – Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) LHHS Subcommittee Chairman – Senator
Tom Harkin (D-IA) Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
Committee Chairman – Senator Tom Harkin(D-IA)
Judiciary Committee Chairman – Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Congress – Republican Majority U.S. House Leadership
Republican Majority – Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) 241:192
Minority Leader – Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Appropriations Committee
Chairman - Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) LHHS Subcommittee Chairman – Rep. Denny
Rehberg (R-MT) Education and Workforce Committee
Chairman – Rep. John Kline (R-MN) Judiciary Committee
Chairman – Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Washington Environmental Assessment Partisanship has impacted all debate and legislative
schedule.
Unprecedented dysfunction in the legislative process.
Issue landscape changing rapidly – has evolved from stimulus, job creation, war in Afghanistan and financial reform to huge emphasis on the deficit.
Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations process delayed.
Federal government running on a Continuing Resolution.
Complete FY 2011 budget.
Mandate to cut the budget because of deficit.
Smaller government.
Focus on earmark elimination.
Congressional Focus
Congressional Action on FY 2011 Fiscal Year began October 1,
2010 No appropriations bills passed. 5th Continuing Resolution until
March 18th. 6th Continuing Resolution until
April 8th passed. Can Congress agree on a long-
term Congressional Resolution?
FY 2011 Continuing Resolutions English Language Acquisition
President’s FY 2011 Request - $800 million
FY 2011 Continuing Resolution - $750 million
FY 2010 - $750 million FY 2009 - $730 million FY 2008 - $ 700.4 million
FY 2010 Final and FY 2011 CR: Adult Basic and Literacy Education
State Grants FY 2010 - $639.6 million FY 2011 CR - $639.6 million Includes level funding for English Language and
Civics Education grants ($75 million)
National Leadership Activities FY 2010 - $11.3 million FY 2011 CR - $11.3 million
FY 2011 Continuing Resolution: Additional Programs of Interest
Even Start - $0 ($66.5 million FY 2010)
Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program – $0 ($200 million FY 2010)
Teacher Quality State Grants - $2.94 ($2.95 billion FY 2010)
Career and Technical Education (state grants) – $1.272 billion
Migrant Education (Title I) - $394.8 million
Foreign Language Assistance (K-12) - $26.9 million
TRIO and GEAR UP - $853.1 million and $323.2 million
Winning the Future
FY 2012 Budget: President’s Outline
Budget Goals To win the future, “we have to out-innovate, out-
educate and out-build the rest of the world.” Take responsibility for our deficit, “by investing in
what makes America stronger and cutting what doesn’t.”
Reform government so that it’s “smarter, leaner, and better able to take on the challenges of the 21st century.”
FY 2012 Budget Detail
$3.73 trillion request which cuts the deficit by $1 trillion over the next decade.
$1.65 trillion deficit in FY 2012.
5-year freeze to most discretionary spending. Maintains priority investments to critical areas
including education.
Must work together to make hard choices.
FY 2012 Budget Outline Education Overview
$77.4 billion for ED - $2 billion increase over FY 2010.
Creates educational reform that emphasizes “cutting where we can, to invest where we must.”
Investments made in innovative, outcome-orientated programs that build on Race to the Top.
Consolidates 38 K-12 programs into 11. Eliminates 13 programs.
FY 2012 Budget Education Overview
Five priorities for ED: 1. Early learning programs; 2. Elementary and secondary innovation and
reform; 3. Recruitment of top teachers and
professionals; 4. College completion; and 5. Supporting at-risk student populations, e.g.,
English language learners.
FY 2010 Budget Education Overview: K-12 Focus
Rewarding excellence and promoting innovation
$900 million Race to the Top (District level). $300 million i3 Fund. $90 million ARPA-ED (Advanced Research Projects
Agency). Support for effective charter schools and comprehensive
school choice.
Great teachers and leaders. $3.25 billion Excellent Instructional Team initiative
(consolidates 9 programs). $835 million Effective Teachers and Learning.
FY 2010 Budget Education Overview: K-12
All students college- and career-ready.
$750 million for ELL program to ensure these students reach same college- and career-ready goals as other students.
$420 million to help States improve quality of assessment systems.
FY 2012 Budget Outline Education Overview: Adult Learners
Variety of programs targeting adult learners. $635 million for Adult Basic and Literacy
Education State Grants. 8 percent of funds used for Workforce
Innovation Fund (WIF) – joint initiative with DOL to improve WIA programs by testing and validating innovation.
$23 million National Leadership Activities – new evaluation and technology infrastructure.
FY 2012 Budget Response
The response on Capitol Hill to the President’s budget not enough.
Still working on FY 2011. Education budget not written to statute. Tea Party members will demand fiscal
discipline.
FY 2012 Budget: Congressional Action
Both chambers have begun to have hearings. Senate Budget Committee has heard testimony
from Secretary Duncan. House Ed and Workforce Committee has heard
testimony from Secretary Duncan. House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee has
heard testimony from Secretary Duncan.
Congressional Education Agenda Overview Workforce Investment Act/Adult Education
Long overdue – hasn’t been reauthorized since 1998.
Title II – Adult Education and Family Literacy Act .
Senate HELP Committee has draft.
House Education and Workforce Committee has many new members – must educate them.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Reauthorization
President Obama Priority – speech at Kenmore Middle School on Monday. Wants Congress to send him bill to “fix” law before
new school year. Secretary Duncan Priority.
Law is broken; must fix it to make it more “fair, flexible and focused.”
Focus on lowest performing schools and students most at-risk.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations
Widespread recognition of benefits and problems for ELL learners
ESEA has shined a light on ELL learners and forced schools to educate these students.
Teaching has improved. Major issues with language of law and state
implementation. Slow guidance from Department of Education.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Accountability – Title I
Include accountability for the development of academic English language proficiency.
Incorporate English language proficiency level as weighted factor into content area achievement.
Distinguish among students within ELL English language proficiency level within age groups.
Require disaggregation of graduation rates based on subgroup.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Accountability – Title III
Require uniform statewide criteria for identification and classification of English Language Learners.
Require states to develop and implement system to monitor and report on effectiveness of language instruction programs.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Assessment and Accommodations
Require states to use valid and reliable assessments and to submit evidence of validity and reliability of assessments.
Require states to report on accommodations used and provide guidance to districts.
Allow use of multiple measures for assessment.
Codify ED regulation allowing 1-year exemption from ELA assessment for recently arrived ELLs and lowest proficiency level.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Advancing Expertise – Title II
Define ESL as core academic subject. Require states to provide unique licensure
credentials for ESL/bilingual as well as other educators who work with ELLs.
Require states to demonstrate core academic content teachers also prepared to meet needs of ELLs.
Incentives to give funding priority to prof development programs focused on ESL/bilingual educators.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Advancing Expertise - Title III
Reinstate fellowship program to support new generation of teachers and researchers to support ELLs.
Provide incentives to districts to develop career ladder programs for ESL/bilingual.
Develop new discretionary grant program for “new-growth” districts.
Provide funding for further research. Establish funding to develop English language
proficiency standards linked to Common Core.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Promoting Innovation – Title I
Allow states to measure linguistic and academic progress in more than 1 language.
Provide resources to promote family literacy so families of ELLs have access to effective early childhood and adult education programs.
ESEA: TESOL Recommendations Promoting Innovation – Title III
Allow Title III funds to support development of native language literacy.
Create competitive grant for innovative programs to serve ELLs.
Establish new grant program targeted to high-need areas to support programs that maintain and develop learners’ native languages.
Provide funding to develop content-area assessments in native/heritage languages.
Other Education Priorities
STEM education
Comprehensive birth-grade 12 literacy initiative
Middle school and high school reform
The Dream Act Status
Did not pass in 111th Congress.
Will be introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) in April.
President has expressed support for bill in past.
What Will Get Done? Will partisanship rule the day?
Will President be able to sign a new ESEA?
Will WIA ever be introduced?