IEL Applauds President’s FY25 Budget Investments in Community Schools and Family Support

March 12, 2024

President Biden released his fiscal year 2025 budget request yesterday, outlining the Administration’s plan for critical investments in public education to support post-pandemic recovery and overcome inequities increasingly exacerbated by historic inflation and systematic underfunding of marginalized communities. IEL celebrates this proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 as it seeks to expand programmatic support for children, families, and their communities. 

Specifically, we are pleased to see the following proposed increases or level funding aligned with our Policy by the People agenda: 

Education: 

• $200 million for Full-Service Community Schools, a $50 million increase over the FY 2023 enacted level, recognizing the role of schools as centers of our communities. 
• $18.6 billion for Title I grants to LEAs to continue historic progress of past two years, a $200 million increase in funding from the previous fiscal year. 
• $940 million for Title III, a $50 million increase from the previous fiscal year.
• $15.7 billion to special education program, including $14.4 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants to States, an increase of $2 million above the FY 2024 enacted level. 
• $40 million in new funds to support school-based mental health supports, including an increase of certified school counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
• $216 million for School Safety National Activities, which will provide $40 million in dedicated funding to meet the mental health needs of our students, school staff, and teachers and build on the Administration’s historic progress in increasing the number of school counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and other health professionals serving our students within schools.
• $200 billion total to support Head Start Preschool with a new $25 million incentive program.
• $940 million for the English Language Acquisition (ELA) program, an increase of $50 million over the FY 2023 enacted level, to deliver high quality bilingual education. 
• $95 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships to build a diverse and well-prepared teacher pipeline—an increase of $25 million in funding from the FY24 annualized continuing resolution levels. 
• Newly proposed $8 billion in mandatory funding to support States and schools to meet the critical needs of their students by increasing student attendance and engagement; providing high-dosage tutoring; and expanding summer, extended, and afterschool learning opportunities.
• Proposes a new suite of efforts to further the reach and impact of school-based services through Medicaid, in order to bring crucial physical, mental, and behavioral health services to schools to meet the needs of students through routine health screenings, preventive care, physical, speech language, and occupational therapies, and more. 
• $1162 million for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, a 16-percent increase compared to the fiscal year 2023 enacted level.
• $107 million for The Youth Mentoring Program. This would restore the funding cut from FY24 to bring it back to its FY23 level.

Workforce Development: 

• $1.47 billion for Career and Technical Education state grants—$40 million above the fiscal year 2023 level—and includes $57 million, including $23 million in new awards, for the Career-Connected High Schools Initiative.  

The proposed budget also includes significant advancements for post-secondary student support, including:

• $25 million to support colleges and universities to develop campus-wide strategies to address basic needs and student mental health needs, including hiring additional providers on their campuses.
• $30 billion mandatory proposal to provide subsidized tuition funding for eligible students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Community Colleges.
• $750 increase to the Pell Grant for the 2024-2025 award year, bringing the maximum grant award to $8,145 and expanding access to higher education for over 7.2 million students.
• Mandatory proposal to create partnerships between the federal government and states, territories, and tribes to make two years of community college free for first-time students and workers wanting to reskill.
• A new Reducing the Costs of College mandatory proposal that would invest in the expansion of dual enrollment through the Classroom to Career program, incentivize excellence with a new award for colleges and universities that provide an excellent education at an affordable price, and support the scaling of evidence-based strategies to lower college costs.
• Elimination of origination fees on Federal Direct student loan.
• $262 million to advance strategies to improve postsecondary attainment, degree completion, and student success, including through $100 million for the Postsecondary Student Success Grants, $100 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Community Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions Research & Development Infrastructure Grants, $15 million for a new Statewide Reform Grants program and $25 million for a new Comprehensive Postsecondary Student Supports Success Program, $12 million through the Open Textbooks Pilot to support projects at Institutions of Higher Education to create new open textbooks or expand their use while maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes, and $10 million to create the first of its kind technical assistance center to support postsecondary education advancement and success.
• Significant investments in the Office of Federal Student Aid, providing $2.66 billion in essential support to student loan borrowers as they return to repayment, critical improvements to student loan servicing, and ensures the successful administration of its financial aid programs. The administration also intends to work with Congress to include Dreamers in federal student aid programs.
• $20 million increase to TRIO and GEAR UP programs, a $10 million increase to services for underserved students looking to gain access and complete postsecondary education.

Foundational Supports: 

• $80 million for colleges and universities providing childcare for low income student parents.

“In light of current challenges in public education such as declining enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and the fiscal cliff due to the expiration of ESSER funds, we are excited to see that the proposed 2025 federal budget makes investments that will advance equity and opportunity in communities across the country,” says IEL President Eddie Koen. “As a TRIO graduate, I can also personally attest to how important programs like these are for students, particularly those of color, to have equal access to higher education.”

During a panel at yesterday’s Department of Education briefing on the Education budget, Assistant Secretary Roberto Rodriguez also recognized IEL’s longstanding advocacy for Community Schools, attributing our work to the Department’s continued expansion of the Full-Service Community School program.

We look forward to working with the Administration, Congress, relevant federal agencies, and our national, state, and local partners to advocate for these funding proposals for FY 2025. Please help us advocate by contacting your members of Congress and urging them to support these funding increases.