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
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
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
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

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 4 Ways States Are Trying to Fix How They Fund Schools
Advocates in many places are pushing for reforms that precisely target more robust aid to schools and students in need.
6 min read
one woman and two men with a large calculator and next to large stacks of bills and coins.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Education Funding Pennsylvania School Funding Is Unconstitutional, Judge Says. Here's What Could Happen Next
An appeal could be on the way, but advocates are already gearing up to make the case for funding reform.
6 min read
Stock image of a gavel on top of a pile of money.
iStock/Getty Images
Education Funding 6 Lawsuits That Could Shake Up How States Pay for Schools
Far removed from annual budgets, these lawsuits hold the potential to force states to direct more funds to their schools.
6 min read
Large white hand holding a weighing scale with a bag of money on one side and books with floating letters on the other side showing a balance of knowledge and money
iStock/Getty
Education Funding States Are Rolling in Surplus Cash, But It's Not All Good News for Schools
Some states are ramping up education spending, while others are leaving districts disappointed.
7 min read
Illustration of a man holding oversized money.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty