Federal Budget Standoff Puts Pressure on States, Districts

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan arrives to testify before a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing about the Obama administration's budget priorities and policy proposals. Education funding has been among the high-profile areas under heated debate in Washington as Congress works to hammer out a permanent spending plan for the federal government.

—Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images

As Congress wrangles over funding, education officials struggle to plan

By Alyson Klein

States and school districts remain in suspense—and frustrated by their inability to plan—as Congress struggles to come up with a budget for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

With the government operating under a series of stopgap spending measures, the latest of which expires March 18, Democrats and Republicans are presenting very different longer-term visions for education spending. Democrats would like to see modest increases to a few key K-12 programs, while Republicans have sought significant cuts in education aid.

Meanwhile, school districts are wrestling with uncertainty. Noelle Ellerson, the assistant director of policy analysis and advocacy at the American Association of School Administrators, said she has been fielding calls and e-mails from concerned school officials...