The U.S. House of Representatives last week took its first action on the U.S. Department of Education’s fiscal 2010 budget, when a key panel approved a plan that nearly matches President Barack Obama’s request for a big increase for a program that seeks to reward effective teachers.
Overall, the department would receive $64.7 billion in discretionary dollars, an increase of $1.2 billion, or 1.8 percent, over the current year. The plan was approved July 10 by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on a voice vote.
The House bill would provide $446 million for the Teacher Incentive Fund, which received $97 million this fiscal year. It also meets President Obama’s call to include $50 million for a new high school graduation initiative, and would match his request of $11.5 billion for special education state grants, the same amount as provided in the fiscal 2009 budget.
However, the panel rejected the presidents bid to shift $1 billion of Title I aid to districts into the Title I school improvement grants program, and his call to create a $500 million Title I early childhood grants program.
