The 1998 appropriations
bill provides "what is plainly the best year for American education in
more than a generation," says President Clinton.
A couple weeks ago, President Clinton signed into law a bill that funds
the U.S. Department of Education through September 30, 1998. The highlights
of the bill are described below in an announcement from Secretary Richard
Riley and Acting Deputy Secretary Marshall Smith. (Read the President's
remarks at the signing ceremony on the Department of Education's Web
site.) At the end of this story are directions for locating the full text
of the bill (H.R. 2264) at the Library of Congress's Web site.
TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SECRETARY RILEY (NOVEMBER 14, 1997)
On November 13, President Clinton signed into law P.L. 105-78, the Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998. The President noted that he
was "signing into the record books what is plainly the best year for American
education in more than a generation."
The Department's 1998 appropriations bill is an important milestone
in the President's effort to ensure that every 8-year-old can read, every
12-year-old can log on to the Internet, every 18-year-old can go on to
college, and every adult can continue to learn for a lifetime…
First, the bill provides a total of $29.4 billion in discretionary funds
for the Department. That's an increase of $3.1 billion, or almost 12 percent
over the 1997 level of $26.3 billion. Even more important than the dollar
totals, however, is the support the bill provides for the President's
key initiatives:
Voluntary National Tests. The bill provides full funding to proceed
with immediate development of the first-ever voluntary national tests
in 4th grade reading and 8th grade math, based on the widely accepted
National Assessment of Educational Progress. The National Assessment Governing
Board will oversee policies and development of the tests. The bill also
permits pilot testing to begin in Fall 1998.
The America Reads Challenge. The bill provides nearly $300 million
in new funding for the Department and other agencies to implement the
President's comprehensive strategy for involving teachers, families and
communities in ensuring that all children learn to read well and independently
by the end of third grade. The $300 million includes $210 million in advance
funding for pending child literacy legislation, $25 million in new funding
for Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants that is earmarked
for professional development in reading, and a $16 million increase for
the Even Start family literacy program.
Bringing Technology to the Classroom. Funding for the President's
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is more than doubled, from $200 million
in 1997 to $425 million in 1998, to help schools pay for computers and
software connected to the Internet, provide professional development in
the integration of technology into the curriculum, and apply technology
to support school reform efforts. The bill also includes an 86 percent
increase for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants -- from $57 million
to $106 million -- to support a wide range of innovative strategies for
improving teaching and learning and increasing student access to technology.
Charter Schools. An $80 million appropriation -- up $29 million
or 57 percent -- will accelerate progress toward the President's goal
of developing 3,000 new charter schools. Up to 500 new charter schools
will be funded in 1998, for a total of almost 1,000 federally supported,
locally designed schools that enhance choice, excellence, and accountability
in public education.
Pell Grants. Congress provided a $1.4 billion (24 percent) increase
for Pell Grants that supports the President's proposal to increase the
maximum Pell Grant to $3,000 and raises the number of Pell recipients
by 220,000. The $300 increase in the Pell maximum award is the largest
in two decades.
Comprehensive School Reform. This new $150 million program will
provide competitive awards of $50,000 to help almost 3,000 schools implement
successful whole school reform approaches or develop their own research-based
reforms aimed at helping all children meet challenging state standards.
Special Education Grants to States. The bill appropriates $3.8
billion for Special Education Grants to States, an increase of $700 million
that will raise the federal share of serving about 6 million children
with disabilities by 19 percent. This increase will help states and school
districts improve educational results for children with disabilities and
help these children meet high standards, as called for by the recently
enacted Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments of 1997.
After-School Learning Centers. The bill dramatically expands
this program, providing $40 million to support hundreds of after-school
centers in rural and urban schools across the country. The centers will
provide academic enrichment, tutoring, and other learning opportunities
while giving students a safe haven during the often-dangerous after-school
hours.
Bilingual and Immigrant Education. The $199 million appropriated
for bilingual education will help school districts teach English to more
than a million limited English proficient children, as well as provide
some 4,000 teachers with the training. The bill also includes $150 million
-- a 50 percent increase -- for the Immigrant Education program to help
more than a thousand school districts provide supplemental instructional
services to 875,000 recent immigrant students.
HIGHLIGHTS OF SIGNIFICANT INCREASES
The following table highlights significant increases in the Department's
1998 appropriations bill:
Program
($ in millions)
1997
1998
Increase
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund
$200.0
$425.0
$225.0
Tech. Innovation Challenge Grants
$57.0
$106.0
$49.0
Comprehensive School Reform
---
$150.0
$150.0
Eisenhower State Grants
$310.0
$335.0
$25.0
Charter Schools
$51.0
$80.0
$29.0
America Reads Challenge
---
$210.0*
$210.0
Bilingual and Immigrant Education
$261.7
$354.0
$92.3
Special Education Grants to States
$3,107.5
$3,801.0
$693.5
Pell Grants
$5,919.0
$7,344.9
$1,425.9
After-School Learning Centers
$1.0
$40.0
$39.0
*Funds become available on October 1, 1998
if pending child literacy legislation is approved by July 1, 1998.
Source: U.D. Department of Education
To locate the full text of the "Departments of Labor,
Health & Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 1998," (H.R. 2264) at the Library of Congress's "Thomas" Web site:
The 1998 appropriations
bill provides "what is plainly the best year for American education in
more than a generation," says President Clinton.