Washington --- President Bush today announced a FY 2007 Department of Education budget request that reaffirms his historic commitment to close the achievement gap among our nation's students and provide a quality education for every child.
The President's budget includes funding for No Child Left Behind that would increase to $24.4 billion, up 4.6 percent from 2006 and up 40 percent since 2001.
Support for Title I Grants to local educational agencies is strong at $12.7 billion, an increase of 45 percent since the enactment of NCLB.
The budget includes $380 million for new or increased funding for math and science programs aimed at giving students the skills they need to become competitive workers in the global economy of the 21st century.
In a budget season marked by the President's determination to support what works and cut the Federal budget deficit in half by 2009, the Education budget demonstrates an effort to eliminate underperforming programs while increasing resources that promote the competitiveness of our students and our nation.
President Bush requests $54.4 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Education in fiscal year 2007, a decrease of $3.1 billion, or 5.5 percent, from the 2006 level.
Much of the decrease is based on a 2006 funding level inflated by one-time costs for Hurricane Katrina relief.
Even with the proposed reduction, discretionary appropriations for education would be up more than $12 billion, or 29 percent, since fiscal year 2001.
"This budget request soundly targets resources where they are needed most and working best," said Secretary Margaret Spellings.
"It will enable us to continue to deliver results for all children under No Child Left Behind, and it tackles our vital priority to improve our global competitiveness by targeting achievement in math and science.
The President made all of this possible in a post-Katrina environment while upholding his commitment to reduce the deficit."
This year's 4.6 percent increase in NCLB spending includes increased resources under the American Competitiveness Initiative, promoting stronger instruction in math, science and foreign language in early grades and more challenging coursework in high schools.
Math Now programs giving students solid instruction in math, increased incentives to take and teach Advanced Placement courses, and programs to encourage foreign language instruction from K-12 and beyond will ensure that our students are better prepared to complete college and compete in the global workforce.
To bring high standards and accountability to our nation's high schools, the President proposes $1.475 billion in High School Reform formula grants to focus more attention on at-risk students struggling to reach grade level in reading and math.
The request maintains support for Title I Grants to local educational agencies at $12.7 billion and, for the first time, the President proposes $200 million for the Title I School Improvement Grant Program for schools identified in need of improvement, corrective action or restructuring.
These increases for new initiatives and priorities are possible through $3.5 billion in savings by eliminating funding for 42 duplicative or unnecessary programs.
The reductions reflect the President's priority to decrease the federal deficit and target taxpayer dollars to those programs with the greatest promise of improving student outcomes.
"Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind, we have seen that high standards, good teachers and accountable schools help every student make great strides in performance," said Secretary Spellings.
We are funding new Title I programs, proposing funding for dropout prevention, increasing special education grants to States, and giving parents more and better choices to stay involved in their children's education.
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