On Tuesday, Dec. 20, lawmakers released their highly anticipated $1.7 trillion government funding package for fiscal year 2023. Both chambers must act fast to pass the omnibus to avert a government shutdown on Friday, with the Senate expected to consider the package as early as Wednesday and the House to follow suit quickly thereafter.
Significantly for Learning Forward, Title II-A received a $20 million boost, a much smaller increase than what was recommended by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the $100 million increase Learning Forward was advocating for.
The bill’s legislative report retained some of the positive language for school leaders seen in the Senate’s version earlier this year. The report language urges the Department of Education to issue guidance on best practices for strengthening the school leader pipeline with the use of federal funds.
The Department of Education is set to receive $79.6 billion, representing a $3.2 billion increase from FY22, but a sizable decrease from President Biden’s budget request and the appropriations committees’ recommendations. However, several Biden Administration priorities received notable increases from FY22, including Title I, which will get a $850 million boost, and special education which will get a $934 million increase. Other major Title programs – Title III (+$59 million), Impact Aid (+$61 million), Title IV-A (+$100 million), CTE Grants (+$75 million), and Title II-A (+$20 million) – are all set to receive increases in the FY23 omnibus. The Charter School program is one of the notable programs that will be flat funded, which is consistent with Democrats’ continued crackdown on the program.
Below is a list of key K-12 funding levels:
