2010 Federal Budget Update: US Department of Education Grants
Pertinent to the topic areas of physical education, physical activity, health and safety programs for youth, here are the budget amounts the President has requested for SOME key grant programs within the US Department of Education for 2010.
· Safe and Drug-Free School sand Communities State Grants (Title IV-A): $0 (compared to $294,759,000 in 2009)
· Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse Among Secondary Students: $32,712,000
· Mentoring Program: $0 (compared to $47,254,000 in 2009)
· Character Education: $0 (compared to $11,912,000 in 2009)
· Elementary and Secondary School Counseling: $52,000,000
· Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP): $78,000,000
· 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC): $1,131,166,000
· Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems: $6,900,000 (compared to $5,900,000 in 2009)
· Readiness and Emergency Response for Schools (REMS): $40,000,000
· Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS): $77,800,000
The President has also proposed a new $100,000,000 grant to support to approaches to changing school culture that will ultimately improve character and reduce risk behaviors, and $300,000,000 for a new program known as the Early Learning Challenge Fund. While it’s still unclear what exactly is envisioned for these programs, the latter program is intended to fund competitive grants to states for social and learning services for children five years old and under. Programs will be reviewed for quality based on a variety of elements, including health and safety.
The federal fiscal year runs October 1-September 30. The process begins with the President proposing his budget plan for the coming fiscal year. The House of Representatives and Senate each review it and propose their own budget plans—separately. When, as individual houses, they’ve agreed on a plan, they then work to reconcile the two plans into one that they both can agree on. It must be passed into law by Congress and then signed by the President. This process typically takes many months and many compromises.
Right now, we’re in the Congressional review part of the process. The President has proposed a budget, but no Congressional action has been taken on the 2010 Education budget yet. At this point in the process, it we do not yet know which programs will materialize and at what amount. Congress may reject or change part or all of the proposed budget, though the President’s suggestions do seem to be more in line with Congressional efforts in recent years than the previous administration’s education proposals. It will be interesting to see what Congress’s proposals look like in the coming months and what is ultimately passed.
What are your thoughts on the President’s 2010 Education budget?
