Education Funding Federal File

Flour Power

By Michelle R. Davis — September 20, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In the shadow of the dome of the U.S. Capitol last week, an old-fashioned bake sale was going on, education-style. On the menu were fudgy Title I brownies and IDEA tortes. The icing on the Pell Grant cupcakes melted in the sun.

The Sept. 13 event was a stunt—no actual sales were made—staged to call attention to what the sponsors view as the need for more federal education funding. Sponsored by the Washington-based Committee for Education Funding, the bake sale featured real goodies and celebrity baker Warren Brown.

The Committee for Education Funding passes out baked goods.

Members of the CEF, an umbrella group that lobbies for federal school aid, were protesting proposals in both the House and Senate education appropriations bills that would provide only nominal increases for two key programs: Title I aid and funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Both the House and Senate appropriations committees have approved bills totaling about $56.7 billion in discretionary money for the Department of Education for fiscal 2006, which would essentially freeze spending at this year’s level.

“Congress doesn’t want us to eat cake,” said CEF Executive Director Edward R. Kealy, who presided over the sweets wearing an apron. “They want to starve us this year.”

The sweets were ultimately given away to lobbyists and CEF members in attendance.

The CEF estimated that its members would have to sell 1.49 billion brownies at $6.67 a square to provide the funding authorized for Title I. They’d have to sell 274 million IDEA tortes, at $14.42 each, to keep special education dollars on track toward so-called full funding in six years.

Mr. Brown, a lawyer-turned-baker who owns Washington’s Cake Love Bakery, sliced into his pink-lady cake—a heavenly raspberry, butter-cream concoction—to represent the sliver of dollars from the federal budget pie that goes to education.

“Just imagine if the portion I’ve sliced had to be shared among everyone here,” said Mr. Brown, who has a popular show, “Sugar Rush,” on the cable-TV Food Network. “I think people want more cake.”

It’s hard to argue with that.

A version of this article appeared in the September 21, 2005 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Trump Cut Teacher-Training Grants for Schools and Colleges. Now What?
Some educator-preparation programs have little hope of getting their money back, even if court cases advance.
10 min read
A man standing on the edge of a one dollar bill that is folded downward to look like a funding cliff.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding States Urge McMahon to Restore Federal Funds She Canceled Without Notice
New York's education department threatened legal action if the federal government doesn't restore pandemic relief funds.
10 min read
Person thinking to enter money maze puzzle.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Schools Could Lose Millions in Federal Dollars After McMahon Changes Rules
The federal government has rescinded deadline extensions for a majority of states to spend remaining pandemic aid.
7 min read
Photo of calendar with pushpins on dates.
iStock
Education Funding States Get Antsy as Education Department Layoffs Delay Millions for Schools
Reimbursements for federal education aid are weeks late, according to state chiefs.
7 min read
Illustration of a clock and it's shadow is an hourglass with the symbol of money in the sand.
DigitalVision Vectors