Key Items Included in FY2010 Appropriations Conference Agreement

Transcription

1 Key Items Included in FY2010 Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Wednesday, December 09, 2009 Labr, Health and Human Services, Educatin, and Related Agencies Bill: $256 millin was apprpriated fr the federal charter schl prgrams, the highest amunt ever apprpriated and a $40 millin increase ver FY2009. The ttal includes $50 millin that can be directly cmpeted by the U.S. Department f Educatin t CMOS and ther nn-prfit entities in rder t supprt the replicatin and expansin f successful 1 charter mdels; ver $23 millin t supprt the Credit Enhancement fr Charter Schl Facilities Prgram and the State Facilities Incentive Grants; and up t $10 millin dllars t supprt Natinal Activities grants t further develp a sund infrastructure f supprt fr high quality charter schls. The Department has als been instructed t submit t Cngress a reprt describing the planned uses f the $50 millin available fr replicatin and expansin f charter mdels and the $10 millin under the Natinal Activities grants befre these funds are bligated. Additinally, new assurances were included in the bill t push states t imprve the verall quality and accuntability f chartering agencies and their versight f schls in each state. Specifically: States applying fr CSP funds need t describe in their applicatins t the Department a plan fr mnitring and hlding accuntable authrized public chartering agencies thrugh such activities as prviding technical assistance r establishing a prfessinal develpment prgram, which may include planning, training, and systems f develpment fr staff f authrized public chartering agencies t imprve the capacity 1 Successful is a term currently defined in the Charter Schls Prgram (CSP). It means a schl that has been in peratin fr at least 3 cnsecutive years and has demnstrated verall success, including (i) substantial prgress in imprving student academic achievement; (ii) high levels f parent satisfactin; and (iii) the management and leadership necessary t vercme initial start-up prblems and establish a thriving, financially viable charter schl. Natinal Alliance Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Funding Highlights Page 1

2 f such agencies in the State t authrize, mnitr, and hld accuntable charter schls. States will als be required t make ASSURANCES in their applicatins that either State law, regulatins, r ther plicies require that: (1) all charter schls in the state perate under a legally binding charter r perfrmance cntract between itself and the schl s authrized public chartering agency that describes the bligatins and respnsibilities f the schl and the public chartering agency; cnduct annual, timely, and independent audits f the schl s financial statements that are filed with the schl s authrized public chartering agency, and demnstrate imprve student academic achievement; and (2) authrized public chartering agencies uses increases in student academic achievement fr all subgrups f students as the mst imprtant factr when determining t renew r revke a schl s charter. $400 millin was included fr the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), $303 millin mre than FY2009. This prgram supprts effrts t develp and implement perfrmance-based teacher and principal cmpensatin systems in high-need schls. Apprximately $220,000,000 will be used t cntinue FY2009 awards, leaving ver $180,000,000 available fr new grants. The Cnference Agreement (1) requires TIF grantees t demnstrate that teacher perfrmancebased cmpensatin systems are develped with the input f teachers and schl leaders, (2) permits TIF grantees t use funds t develp r imprve systems and tls t enhance the quality and success f teacher cmpensatin systems, and (3) requires applicatins fr TIF grants t include a plan t sustain financially the activities cnducted and systems develped nce the grant perid has expired. $10 millin was included fr the Administratin s new Prmise Neighbrhds Initiative. This new initiative wuld prvide cmpetitive, 1-year planning grants t nn-prfit, cmmunitybased rganizatins t supprt the develpment f plans fr cmprehensive neighbrhd prgrams, mdeled after the Harlem Children s Zne, designed t cmbat the effects f pverty and imprve educatin and life utcmes fr children, frm birth thrugh cllege. Grantees that develp prmising plans and partnerships wuld be eligible t receive implementatin grants the fllwing year. The Apprpriatins Cmmittees have requested that the Department, 30 days prir t releasing any requests fr prpsals under this prgram, prvide a reprt t them describing the planned use f these funds. $50 millin was included fr a new High Schl Graduatin Initiative the Administratin requested. The new initiative wuld prvide lcal educatin agencies grants t supprt effective, sustainable, and crdinated strategies that will increase high schl graduatin rates particularly in the drput factries (and their feeder schls) that prduce the great majrity f America s high schl drputs. Additinally, $5 millin f this funding may be used fr peer review, technical assistance, disseminatin, evaluatin, and ther natinal activities. $14.5 billin was included fr Title I grants. Althugh this is the same amunt as FY09, an additinal $10 billin was prvided thrugh ARRA funding. Natinal Alliance Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Funding Highlights Page 2

3 $545 millin was apprpriated t the Schl Imprvement Grants which are als authrized under Title I. Again, the same amunt as FY09 but n tp f $3 billin prvided thrugh ARRA. $11.5 billin was apprpriated fr IDEA. ARRA als prvided $11.3 billin fr IDEA Part B. $18 millin was apprpriated directly t Teach fr America t supprt expansin effrts t recruit, select, train, and supprt utstanding recent cllege graduates wh cntinue t serve as teachers fr at least 2 years in high-need schls and districts in lw-incme urban and rural cmmunities acrss the United States. $250 millin was included fr the Striving Readers Prgram, which was amended t supprt a cmprehensive literacy prgram fr students frm birth thrugh grade 12. States cmpete fr this funding nw and then 95% f the funds shall be awarded as subgrants t lcal educatin agencies r ther entities, giving pririty t such agencies r entities serving greater numbers r percentages f disadvantaged children. Additinally, the Department must prepare a an implementatin plan f K-12 literacy related activities 30 days prir t a request fr prpsals is released fr the Striving Readers prgram. $12 millin was included fr COMPETITIVE awards t Lcal Educatin Agencies (LEAs) lcated in cunties in Luisiana, Mississippi, and Texas that were designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as cunties eligible fr assistance due t damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, r Gustav fr activities such as replacing instructinal materials and equipment, teacher incentives, schl mdernizatin and renvatin, Advanced Placement r ther rigrus curses, charter schls, and extended learning activities. $100 millin was included fr Educatinal Technlgy State Grants (r the Enhancing Educatin Thrugh Technlgy Prgram). Awards under this prgram are made t SEAs based upn their prprtinate share f funding under Title I Part A wh are required t use at least 95% f funds fr subgrants. Althugh SEAs can cmpete ut 100% f the funds, anther ptin under the statute enables them t distribute ne half f the subgrants by frmula t eligible LEAs; and ne half are awarded by cmpetitin t eligible lcal entities which must include a high need LEA. $1.2 billin was included fr the Teacher Quality State Grants (r, the Imprving Teacher Quality State Grants). The purpse f the prgram is t increase academic achievement by imprving teacher and principal quality. This prgram is carried ut by: increasing the number f highly qualified teachers in classrms; increasing the number f highly qualified principals and assistant principals in schls; and increasing the effectiveness f teachers and principals by hlding LEAs and schls accuntable fr imprvements in student academic achievement. Awards are made t State Educatin Agencies wh in turn make frmulaic subgrants t LEAs in the state. State Agencies fr Higher Educatin als receive funding under this prgram and cmpete ut grants t partnerships that must include at least ne institutin f higher Natinal Alliance Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Funding Highlights Page 3

4 educatin (IHE) and its divisin that prepares teachers and principals, a schl f arts and sciences, and a high-need LEA 2. $5 millin f this funding was directed t New Leaders fr New Schls (NLNS) t supprt the rganizatin's effrts t develp and deliver training fr aspiring principals and supprt fr principals, and cnduct research t create a natinal knwledge base t infrm the recruitment; selectin, and training f principals fr high-need schls. NLNS and its partners must prvide nt less than a 150 percent match in cash r in-kind fr the Federal funds prvided fr this initiative. The match may cnsist f cash r in-kind fferings by private philanthrpy r public surces, including funding allcated by partner State and schl systems, and may be used fr any purpse related t the prgram's recruitment, training, and residencies fr aspiring principals, the nging caching and supprt f thse schl leaders, as well as related research activities. Additinally, the Apprpriatrs made an authrizatin change t the Investing in Innvatin (i3) Fund. They have amended the current language requiring an entity applying fr an i3 grant t have exceeded the Annual Measurable Objectives fr a state fr the last 2 r mre years t having demnstrated success in significantly increasing student academic achievement fr all grups f students described in sectin 1111(c)(2) f the ESEA. Thus, the AYP requirement is n lnger there fr entities applying fr an i3 grant. Als, the Apprpriatrs added language clarifying that any applicant serving as the fiscal agent in an i3 applicatin CAN make subgrants t ne r mre f the ther entities in the partnership. Transprtatin, Husing and Urban Develpment, and Related Agencies Bill: $200 millin fr the Hpe VI prgram f which $65 millin may be available fr a demnstratin f the Chice Neighbrhd Initiative, a prgram prpsed by the Administratin t make a range f transfrmative investments in high-pverty neighbrhds where public and assisted husing is cncentrated. Specified in the cnference agreement is language that cites access t quality public schls, including CHARTER SCHOOLS, as a part f the slutin fr transfrming neighbrhds. Applicants fr the funding may include nnprfits. This initiative will likely be cnducted in partnership with ED s Prmise Neighbrhds planning grants. 2 a high-need LEA is defined as an LEA: (A) (i) that serves nt fewer than 10,000 children frm families with incmes belw the pverty line; r (ii) fr which nt less than 20 percent f the children served by the agency are frm families with incmes belw the pverty line AND (B) (i) fr which there is a high percentage f teachers nt teaching in the academic subjects r grade levels that the teachers were trained t teach r (ii) fr which there is a high percentage f teachers with emergency, prvisinal, r temprary certificatin r licensing. Natinal Alliance Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Funding Highlights Page 4

5 Synpsis This bill still has t be signed int law by President Obama, hwever, as a Cnference Agreement it is likely t prceed quickly thrugh the Huse and the Senate and then nt the President s desk fr an expected signature. The Huse will begin flr debate n this bill tmrrw (December 10 th ) likely clearing the bill this week sending it t the Senate wh will likely take it up next week given the current Cntinuing Reslutin funding these Departments and Agencies technically expires n December 18th. Natinal Alliance Apprpriatins Cnference Agreement Funding Highlights Page 5