June 7, 2006 funding report:

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Committee agreed to a bill that sets total discretionary spending at $141.930 billion. The Department of Education’s budget is $400 million dollars less than FY06, a decrease of 0.7%.

Highlights of the bill: (B=billions, M=millions)

Programs that are funded at the FY06 level
Title I grants to LEA’s $12.7B
Reading First $1.02B
Early Reading First $103M
Striving Readers $35M
Impact Aid $1.2B
National Writing Project $21.5M
Head Start $6.7B
Regional Education Laboratories $65.5M
Vocational Education $1,296B

Programs that received an increase from FY06
IDEA state grants +150.1M making FY07 $11.753B
Title I, School improvements grants +$200M (new funding)
Title V-innovative state grants +$51M FY 07 $150M
Striving Readers +$5.3M FY 07 $35M
Pell Grant Maximum Award +$100 $4,150 (maximum award)
Math and Science Partnerships +$42.8M FY07 $225M
Advance Placement of +$47.8M FY07 $80M

All other higher education programs are level funded, including Trio, Gear Up, LEAP, College Work Study and Perkins loans cancellation.

Programs that received a decrease from FY06
Even Start -$29M FY07 $70M
Smaller Learning Communities -$43.5M FY07 $45.3M
Safe and Drug Free Schools state grants -$36.5M FY07 $310M
Teacher Quality state grants -$300.4M FY07 $2,587B
Comprehensive School Reform -$4.9 M FY07 $3M
School Counselors -$12.65 M FY07 $22M

The bill completely eliminates:
Education Technology State Grants -$272.3M
Drop Out Prevention -$4.5M
Arts in Education -$34M

The bill does not fund the President’s $1.5 billion high school initiative, the opportunity scholarship program, or the competitiveness initiative.