September 2025 Policy by the People Federal Update

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What’s Happening in Washington 

*Please note: This update may not include all the changes currently happening in the federal government.

Here’s what’s been happening in federal education policy in the month of September, and what lies ahead.

The U.S. Congress

The Final Countdown: Congress has until September 30, 2025, to pass the FY26 federal budget in the form of twelve appropriations bills. Unless Congress passes a Continuing Resolution (CR) by Tuesday, the government will shut down. The House has voted for a seven-week clean CR (a CR with no additional amendments), which did not pass a vote in the Senate. The House is now out of session until the week of October 6th.

Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have passed their versions of the FY26 Labor-HHS Appropriations bills have b and are awaiting a floor vote. The Senate bill funds Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) at $135M and includes level funding for Promise Neighborhoods and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), while the House version of the bill seeks to eliminate all three of these funding streams. The House bill also seeks to eliminate funding for the Reentry Employment Opportunities Grant, which is housed in the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOL-ETA), while the Senate bill maintains level funding at $115M. The Reentry Employment Opportunities Grant funds the Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative at IEL. Once both bills pass their individual chambers, they will undergo a conference committee to reconcile the bills.

The FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bills have both passed the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and are awaiting a floor vote. For youth mentoring programs at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the Department of Justice, the House bill allocates level funding at $104M while the Senate allocates $105M. Once both bills pass, their individual chambers, they will undergo a conference committee to reconcile the bills.

What to Know About a Federal Government Shutdown: When a federal government shutdown occurs, the law requires agencies to cease activity and furlough “non-excepted” employees until funding for that fiscal year is approved or the deadline is extended. This is similar in Congress, where a government shutdown requires offices to furlough non-essential staff. Usually, excepted employees include those who perform work to protect life and property, or essential Congressional Office needs to end government shutdowns. Excepted employees continue to work but are not paid until after the shutdown ends.

As most K-12 education and afterschool funding are forward funded or have multi-year mechanisms, they are not usually impacted by shutdowns. However, the White House has directed federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for mass firings during a possible government shutdown, specifically targeting programs that are not legally required to continue. During a shutdown, agencies usually report how the shutdown will impact cash flow to those they serve. Shutdowns primarily impact discretionary funds, not mandatory funds. For more on what federal government shutdowns impact, see this FAQ from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. In preparation for a potential federal government shutdown, federal grantees should contact their state or general agency program officers for instructions and guidance in the case that a shutdown occurs.

Coordinators Appreciation Week in Congress: On September 15, 2025, U.S. Representative Judy Chu (CA-28) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD) introduced a joint resolution in both chambers of Congress, recognizing September 14-20th 2025, as Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week.

Senate HELP Committee Hearing on K-12 Education: On September 17, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) conducted a hearing on K-12 Education. Witnesses and Members of Congress discussed the recent 2024 NAEP Report, AI in Education, and Teacher Quality and Instruction. Notably, witness Dr. Rebecca Winthrop from the Brookings Institution mentioned Community Schools as an effective school model, citing Community Schools in Kentucky Appalachia. To watch this hearing, see here.

The U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education and Department of Labor Announce Integrated State Plan for Workforce Development: On September 8, the ED and DOL announced continued progress on implementing their Workforce Development Partnership. The Departments are launching an integrated state plan portal that will streamline federal workforce development plans and allow the Departments to administer core Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs, including adult education and family literacy programs. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a bipartisan-supported program that was set for reauthorization in 2020 but has continued operation through continued funding. The ED is to transfer program funds and staff to DOL to support these core programs.

Secretary McMahon releases Patriotic Education Supplemental Priority: On September 17, Secretary Linda McMahon announced her fifth proposed supplemental priority for a discretionary grant competition on Patriotic Education Supplemental Priority. The priority will be used to “promote a civic education that teaches American history, values, and geography with an unbiased approach”. For the Notice of Proposed Priority (NPP) on this Supplemental Priority, see here.

ED Announces Release of Record $500M for Charter School Programs: On September 24, the ED announced that a record $500M has been released to all six Charter School Programs: State Entity, Charter School Management Organization, Developer, State Facilities, Credit Enhancement, and Model Dissemination and Development grants. Supplemental funding was also awarded to existing State Entity grantees to meet increased demand. For a breakdown on grant dollar distribution, see the press release from the ED.

Secretary McMahon releases Meaningful Learning and Workforce Readiness Supplemental Priorities: On September 25, Secretary Linda McMahon announced her sixth and seventh proposed supplemental priorities for discretionary grant competitions on Meaningful Learning and Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness at the Department of Education.

  • Meaningful Learning funding will focus on “strengthening core instruction in mathematics, expanding access to high-quality instructional materials, promoting effective interventions and supports, creating competency-based instructional models, creating strategic staffing models, implementing new school day schedules, expanding access to high-impact tutoring, supporting career-connected learning, and advancing innovative assessment models.”
  • Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness funding will focus on “projects that align workforce development programs with state priorities, encourage state efforts to identify industry-recognized credentials, build the skilled trades, promote industry-led sector partnerships, increase work-based learning opportunities, expand pre-apprenticeships, and foster the development of talent marketplaces.”

For the Notice of Proposed Priority (NPP) on these Supplemental Priorities, see Meaningful Learning here and Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness here. For more on the Secretary’s priorly released priorities, see here.

The White House

Updates on the White House Task Force on AI Education and the Commitment of Major Organizations: On September 9, 2025, the White House released an article on major organizations that have committed to supporting AI education to students, educators, and workforce upskilling. Google has committed $1 billion to support education and job training programs, while Pearson Education will be providing up to 250,000 free vouchers to High School teachers for Pearson’s Generative AI Foundations certification. Zoom is committing $5M over the next three years to support K-12 education through multi-year grants, including ” supporting nonprofits and institutions that design and deliver K-12 programs centered on AI literacy, curriculum development, and skill-building for educators and students.” For more on the organizations supporting this White House initiative and potential funding opportunities, see this article.

IEL Policy Updates 📜

  • Full-Service Community Schools Coordinators Appreciation Week Recap: Thank you for joining us from September 14-20, 2025, to celebrate Community Schools Coordinators! We are proud to announce that our network engaged in over 30 Hill and advocacy meetings, had two Resolutions introduced into the U.S. Congress, and our collective social media activity had a reach of over 1.2 million.
  • Policy & Advocacy Resources and Tools: Check out this link for a comprehensive list of resources, tools, and trackers on Community Schools outreach work. Whether you are looking for easy how-to guides on how to reach out to your Members of Congress, or how to share the Community Schools impact on your community, we have a resource for you! As Back-to-School Season continues, please check out our past policy webinars for refreshers on the federal budget process, the role of data, and more!
  • Apply now for the EPFP 2026 Spring Cohort: The application for the Spring 2026 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) is now live! If you want to learn how to advance your policy strategy and advocate for the children and families in your community, then EPFP is right for you—no previous policy experience required. To learn more about the program and how to apply, go to https://iel.org/our-work/epfp/.
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