On July 31st, the Senate released and marked up its version of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill (Labor-H) for fiscal year 2026. Total discretionary funding for the Department of Education is set at approximately $79 billion, significantly higher than the White House’s proposed $66.7 billion, preserving critical funding for students and families, including $135 million for Full-Service Community Schools!
This bipartisan version of the bill restores funding to programs that were previously proposed to be eliminated by the Trump Administration and rejects the Simplified Funding Plan, which aimed to consolidate 18 competitive grant programs into one $2 billion block grant program.
In support of K-12 funding, the Senate has allocated $18.5 billion for Title I funding, a $50 million increase over FY25, and maintained FY25-level funding for IDEA, Title II-A, and Title IV-A. 21st Century Community Learning Centers received $1.3 billion to preserve funding for before-school, after-school, and summer programs serving nearly 1.4 million students.
Full-Service Community received $135 million, a 9% reduction from FY25, but was maintained as a program despite proposed elimination by the President’s budget. We want to thank the 363 organizations from 48 states and the District of Columbia for your ongoing support and signing on to our letter in support of funding Full-Service Community Schools at the highest level possible.
This bill is one step in the process of securing education funding for FY26. The House Labor-H bill is set to be marked up in September, after Congress returns from Recess. IEL and the Coalition for Community Schools will continue to work to request as much funding as possible for the programs we care about. Stay in touch to learn how you can help us advocate for children and families for FY26.