March 2024 Federal Policy Update

Policy by the People Agenda

Summary of federal policy action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month

1. President Biden Releases Proposed 2025 Budget: Released on March 11, President Biden’s proposed 2025 budget for the Department of Education aims for modest spending increases, prioritizing support for high-need students, students with disabilities, and universal preschool for 4-year-olds. The $82 billion proposal includes funding for programs including Title I, special education, and career and technical education. Despite smaller increases compared to previous years, Biden’s budget signals his Administration’s priorities. This budget includes small budget increases compared to previous years, which is a result of “the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act,” which “imposed a cap of nearly $711 billion in nondefense funding for Fiscal Year 2025.”
2. President Biden Announces $5.8 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 78,000 Public Service Workers, Including Teachers: On March 21, President Biden announced “that he would forgive roughly $6 billion for 78,000 borrowers such as teachers, nurses, or social workers enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program” within two years. This brings the Biden Administration’s total loan forgiveness to $144 billion for approximately 4 billion borrowers.
3. Senate Approves Final FY24 Appropriations Bill: The $1.2 trillion funding package spans multiple sectors, with notable allocations in education. Significantly, “the bill provides a $1 billion increase for early learning programs,” allocates “$79.1 billion in funding for the Department of Education,” and “maintains the $20 million investment in the Statewide Family Engagement Centers program,” despite House Republicans’ proposed elimination of the program. Additionally, $150,000 million has been designated to bolster Full-Service Community Schools.

Events

• Upcoming Event: The Campaign for Grade Level Reading for a Kindergarten Matters will host the webinar Starting Strong: Developing Foundational Life Skills in Kindergarten on April 2^nd at 3:00 pm EST. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: EdWeek will host the webinar Turn the Tide on Teacher Morale on April 11^th at 2:00 pm EST. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: The National Association of State Boards of Education will host the webinar State Strategies for Sustaining Pandemic Recovery Efforts Beyond ESSER on April 11^th at 3:00 pm EST. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley will be joint-hosting a livestream of their 2024 Summit on April 14-17^th. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: The Hunt Institute will host the webinar Race & Education | A Conversation on Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don’t Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed on April 16^th at 2:00 pm EST. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: The Hunt Institute will host the webinar Homeroom with Education Leaders: Beyond Recovery: Neurodivergent Learners and Learning Loss on April 18^th at 3:00 pm EST. More information can be found here.

Resources

• The 74: Article: 40 Years After ‘A Nation At Risk,’ How Has Standards-Based School Reform Succeeded — and Failed?
• FutureEd: Explainer: Governors’ Education Priorities in their 2024 State-of-the-State Addresses
• Learning Policy Institute: Article: Lessons for the Community Schools Revolution
• Education Week: Article: ‘The Backlash on AI Is Coming’: 3 Early Lessons for K-12 Education

IEL Policy Highlights:

• In support for March for Children and Youth Month, The Coalition for Community Schools published the March for Children and Youth Month Playbook to support advocacy for Full-Service Community Schools.
• IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program hosted the 60^th Annual Washington Policy Seminar for over 250 fellows in Washington, D.C. The capstone event of the program, WPS created opportunities for Fellows to network with policy leaders and thinkers from across the country and meet with members of Congress.
• IEL and the Coalition for Community Schools signed onto the AERA’s letter in support of IES funding at $900 million in fiscal year 2025, as well as the Afterschool Alliance’s letter in support of &2.09 billion for Nita M. Lowey 21^st Century Community Learning Centers in fiscal year 2025.