Education Week - June 16, 2021 - 2

Biden's K-12 Budget
Seeks $20 Billion
For Equity, Salaries
President Joe Biden is not thinking small-or even
incremental. He has proposed an ambitious $6 trillion
budget that calls for dramatic increases in K-12
spending, including $20 billion in new incentives to
states to raise teacher pay and address inequity in
school funding.
The proposal would increase the U.S. Department
of Education's discretionary budget for the coming
fiscal year to $102.8 billion, about 41 percent-that is
correct-above current levels. The plan echoes Biden's
pledge as a candidate to push for a potentially transformational
surge of new money for education.
At the core of his education budget: new " equity
grants " that would more than double funding for
Title I, a grant program for educating disadvantaged
students, to $36.5 billion from about $16 billion, the
largest increase in the program's history.
Funding would flow through a new formula to address
state and local funding models that " favor
wealthier districts over districts with concentrated
poverty, " a department document says. That's likely
to create political friction, as have previous efforts to
tie strings to new federal funds.
Politicians concerned about equity have long
pointed to challenges with education funding systems.
Predominantly white districts receive billions
of dollars more than districts primarily serving students
of color.
Some lawmakers have said the existing Title I formula
does not adequately address funding gaps between
schools. Rather than replace that formula, the
Biden plan would break out new Title I funds into the
separate grant. To get that money, states would have
to submit plans on how they would track and address
gaps in their funding systems, ensure teachers are
compensated at levels comparable to other professionals
with similar education and experience, ensure
students have access to advanced coursework, and increase
access to early-childhood programs.
No question the proposal will face resistance in a
deeply divided Congress, where even some moderate
Democrats have been skeptical of plans to increase
corporate taxes to pay for it.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the vice chairman of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, called Biden's
proposal a " blueprint for higher taxes, excessive
spending, and disproportionate funding priorities. "
Together
Again
Odessa High School
seniors gather for a
panoramic photo of
the class of 2021 before
their graduation
ceremony May 28
at Ratliff Stadium
in Odessa, Texas. The
scene was an example
of a return to normalcy
after many in the class
of 2020 had virtual
ceremonies because
of COVID-19.
GOP Submits Infrastructure Plan Omitting
Funds for Nearly Anything School-Related
Based on a proposal pushed out by Senate Republicans,
you'd have to conclude that safe and modern schools are not a
top priority for the GOP.
Their proposal on federal investment in the nation's infrastructure,
unveiled late last month, includes no money for
school construction and renovation.
President Joe Biden in March proposed the American Jobs
Plan, which would amount to $2.3 trillion in federal spending
on a broad list of priorities, including roads, bridges, waterways,
public transportation, and airports.
Several of its initiatives focus on K-12: $50 billion in grants
and $50 billion in bonds for school building improvements;
$20 billion for electrifying school buses; $45 billion for eliminating
the nation's lead pipes, including those that send water
to schools; and $100 billion to achieve broadband connectivity
in every home by 2030.
The one-page Republican proposal omits the first three
items and shrinks the proposed broadband investment to $65
billion. It also proposes a total of $257 billion in new investments,
less than one-sixth of what the administration wants.
Republicans have blasted the American Jobs Plan as wasteful
spending and a departure from traditional infrastructure.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., told CNBC that she believed
Republicans in Congress would not have an appetite to
invest in " extra infrastructure areas " like schools.
Following the release of the GOP plan, White House press
secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is concerned about
omissions of several key priorities, including the decision to
abandon lead pipes nationwide. Negotiations are continuing.
The National Council for School Facilities estimates the nation
is spending roughly half of what it needs to on an annual
basis to keep up with routine building maintenance, modernize
aging systems, and stay ahead of enrollment growth and
rapid advancements in technology.
Aside from a handful of narrowly targeted grants and bonds,
the federal government's last major investment in K-12 school
buildings was before World War II, during the Franklin D.
Roosevelt presidency.
Despite Gains, School District Leaders Still Worry
About Home Internet Access for All Students
Kudos for school districts. They've come a long way over the
past year in providing students access to digital learning tools
at home-just not far enough. That's the gist of a new survey
indicating the technology gap remains a top concern for district
leaders.
The Consortium for School Networking, in partnership with
AASA, the School Superintendents Association, polled leaders
in nearly 400 urban, suburban, and rural districts nationwide.
The results show districts are much more attentive to homeinternet
connections for students. Back in 2020, when the pandemic
was just a few months old, almost half of district leaders
surveyed by CoSN said their districts did not provide off-campus
broadband services. That percentage plummeted this year, with
only 5 percent of respondents saying their districts don't provide
some sort of off-campus internet services.
In this most recent survey, about 70 percent of school systems
reported that they gave out Wi-Fi hotspots to help students get
connected. That's compared with just 17 percent saying they had
doled out hotspots for off-campus use in 2020. And this school
year, a little over a quarter of district leaders said they worked to
provide subsidized home internet for families, a big increase over
last school year's 10 percent.
BRIEFLY STATED CONTRIBUTORS: Evie Blad, Alyson Klein, Mark Lieberman, and Tribune News Service. Edited by Karen Diegmueller.
2 | EDUCATION WEEK | June 16, 2021 | www.edweek.org
Despite the progress, technology-equity issues remain a top
concern for district leaders. Ninety-seven percent ranked it as a
serious issue, making it the third-most-urgent problem overall.
What's more, 65 percent said they had " significant " concerns
about equity.
Cybersecurity, though, remains their No. 1 priority, with privacy
and security coming in second place, according to the survey.
One of the big technology lessons of the pandemic is that
schools were not prepared to pivot to remote and hybrid learning.
It was a logistical mess in most districts.
That was especially the case when it came to providing remote
IT support. Sixty-one percent of district leaders surveyed said
their districts were not prepared to offer what one survey participant
described as a " nonstop help desk. "
Another survey participant said, " We went from having one district
network to support to having 20,000 networks to support. "
Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP

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Education Week - June 16, 2021

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