July 14, 2016: Congress is set to adjourn for the summer and will return after Labor Day. Before leaving town though there was a flurry of activity around appropriations for FY2017 programs and career and technical education. And the political drama continues as Education Secretary King answers questions from key Congressional Republicans over implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The good news for STEM: The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has approved a FY2017 Labor HHS and Education spending bill that includes $1 billion for the new Every Student Succeeds Act Title IV block grants.  This amount is $500 million above the President’s budget request and $700 million above the Senate funding ($300m).  The program is authorized at $1.65 billion in ESSA.

The ESSA Student Support and Academic Achievement State Grants would provide flexible funds to every school district to expand access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions, and improve the use of technology. As reported in previous NSTA Legislative Updates, under Title IV districts can elect to use funds to provide students with a well-rounded education with programs that improve instruction and student engagement in STEM, expand STEM courses, pay for the participation of students in STEM nonprofit competitions,  provide hands-on learning opportunities in STEM, integrate other academic subjects into STEM subject programs, create STEM specialty schools, integrate classroom-based and afterschool and informal STEM instruction, and expand environmental education courses.

(Read more about the House funding for the ESSA Title IV block grant here and here.)

The House funding bill also reduces the State grants for ESSA teacher quality (Title II) by $400 million of the requested amount, bringing the program to about $1.9 billion. The Senate version reduces this program by about $200m.

Here’s the bad news. Although both the Senate and House have approved their separate funding bills for education, it is highly unlikely that any final appropriations bills for FY2017, which starts on Oct.1, will make it through both chambers.  There are more than 12 funding bills, including education, still in play and a limited Congressional calendar in September (before they adjourn again for the election). And let’s not forget election year politics.

With this in mind, talk is now turning to a possible spending stop gap measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), which would fund the government past Oct. 1 and also allow Congress to put together an omnibus bill that would roll the 12 separate funding bills into one package. Here’s the good news: the basis for an omnibus bill will likely be the 12 bills written by the House and Senate, which includes the $1 billion allocated for the aforementioned ESSA Title IV block grants.  

And even better news: Report language accompanying the House appropriations bill, which clarifies Congressional intent, clearly calls out STEM and Computer Science Education, with legislators noting that funds available under this program “may be used by States and school districts to provide or strengthen instruction in STEM fields, including computer science.” The Committee report also recommends no separate funding for the competitive Computer Science for All Development Grants, a priority for the Administration and a coalition of moderate Democrats.

Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act

In recent House and Senate hearings on ESSA implementation, Education Secretary John King faced serious questions from Republican lawmakers who believe the Department of Education is overstepping its authority in implementing the new law. Issues of concern include the Department proposal that would require states and schools to create a summative rating for accountability purposes and the timeline for transitioning to ESSA (the first full year of ESSA is 2017-18, and schools may have to rely on 2016-17 data to be used to identify and intervene with low performing schools).  

Proposed language that would ensure that federal Title I dollars supplement and do not supplant state and local dollars is also a huge issue.

Many Republicans and other critics (including the unions) have voiced concerns that the department is not following the intent of the law with draft supplement-not-supplant regulatory language that they believe would could require districts to use school-level expenditures tests to show equal spending and require monitoring teacher salaries, which could lead to teacher reassignment and changes in teacher hiring practices (and disruptions to collective bargaining).  King maintains the Department will be “vigilant” in ensuring that interventions continue in the lowest-performing schools, and that federal dollars are truly supplemental to state and local funding.

In other ESSA news, the Education Department has issued draft regulations for an innovative assessment pilot that will allow up to seven states to experiment with new tests (including science tests) that can eventually be used throughout the state for accountability purposes. Read more here about the tests and here about the draft regulations.

The Education Department also released proposed regulations on assessments.

House Passes Rewrite of Career and Technical Education Law (Perkins Act)

On July 7 the House Committee on Education and the Workforce unanimously approved H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, legislation that reauthorizes and reforms the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and will help more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand jobs.

The new law will give states more flexibility over how they spend federal money and allows states more control on measuring the success of their programs. It also aligns performance standards for Perkins programs with the Every Student Succeeds Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.  Senate education leaders have indicated they would like to see Perkins reauthorized soon, so a similar bill may be introduced later this year in the Senate.

Republicans and Democrats Party Platforms and Priorities for Education

Both parties have released drafts of their party platforms, which include a number of key priorities for K-12 education.

Here is an excerpt from the Democratic Platform on teaching and learning and STEM Education:

“Democrats will launch a nation
al campaign to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, and we will ensure that teachers receive the tools and ongoing professional development they need to succeed in the classroom and provide our children with a world-class education. We also must lift up and trust our educators, continually build their capacity, and ensure that our schools are safe, welcoming, collaborative, and well-resourced places for our students, educators, and communities. We will invest in high-quality STEM classes, community schools, computer science education, arts education, and expand linked learning models and career pathways.”

Here is an excerpt from the Republican Platform on teaching and learning and STEM Education:

We applaud America’s great teachers, who should be protected against frivolous litigation and should be able to take reasonable actions to maintain discipline and order in the classroom. We support legislation that will correct the current law provision which defines a “Highly Qualified Teacher” merely by his or her credentials, not results in the classroom. We urge school districts to make use of teaching talent in business, STEM fields, and in the military, especially among our returning veterans. Rigid tenure systems based on the “last in, first out” policy should be replaced with a merit-based approach that can attract fresh talent and dedication to the classroom. All personnel who interact with school children should pass background checks and be held to the highest standards of personal conduct.

And finally, the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources has launched a nationwide search for a Division Director of the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE). The Division Director of DUE oversees a substantial portfolio of research, development, and education programs related to undergraduate education, and works with other leaders at NSF and the community to advance STEM and STEM education.  Further information about the position can be found here: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16111/nsf16111.jsp?org=NSF

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. e-mail Peterson at jpeterson@nsta.org; follow her on Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

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