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| Federal Update: April 11, 2013 |
| posted by: Ruthie | April 11, 2013, 02:44 PM |
|
President Obama Releases 2014 Fiscal Year Budget Yesterday, President Obama released the 2014 Fiscal Year Budget. These guidelines contain several implications for education, as outlined below.
Click here to read the entire budget. Tobacco Taxes Fund President Obama's Preschool Plan Many Americans are wondering how President Obama plans to fund his proposed Pre-K program. While up until now the details have been unclear, The New York Times recently released a story reporting the President's plan to raise federal taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. According to a report released by the congressional Budget Office, hiking tobacco taxes from the current level of $1.01 to $1.51 could trim the deficit by $42 billion over ten years. "This investment could help jumpstart preschool programs in states without adequate preschools and could also help states with programs reach the lowest-income children," commented an author of an analysis from The Center for American Progress. "This would free up state dollars to expand access for higher-income children and improve program quality." Despite this insight into the source of funds for the Pre-K program, there are still many unanswered questions: How will the administration fund incentives to states for extending their programs to middle-class families? How will the President fund plans to offer full-day kindergarten, bolster Head Start programs for younger children, and expand home-visiting services? What standards will this project have to meet? However, the bigger question is – will this new proposal to increase the tobacco tax in order to fund the Pre-K program make it a more palatable initiative? Will lawmakers support or oppose the exchange of higher taxes in exchange for universal pre-k? House Second-In-Command: Federal Education Aid Should Follow Children House Majority Republican leader Eric Cantor is taking on education reform full steam ahead. Speeches in Denver, New Orleans, and DC each emphasized school choice and the need for federal funding to follow students. Cantor said he'd like to see the reallocation of federal dollars to follow children, particularly parents of "vulnerable populations" and "special-needs parents." Cantor is not alone in his desire to reform education. Several key congressmen concur with Cantor and will be joining him in advocating for children and parents. States Meet New Gun Legislation With Reluctance After the horrifying massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, legislators in several states introduced bills that would allow teachers and school administrators to carry guns. However, proposed legislation is proving more controversial than anticipated, as several bills have been met with opposition from governors, educators, and legislative leaders. South Dakota is currently the only state to respond to the tragedy with a new law allowing school staff to carry guns, but similar legislation is awaiting the governor's signature in Kansas. Conversely, several states, including Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, and New York, have increased gun control measures following the slaughter. Efforts to put more guns in the hands of trained school employees in Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas have encountered resistance. In Missouri, State Representative Mike Kelley initially proposed legislation allowing teachers to carry hidden guns in the classroom as a "line of defense." Yet, this legislation never received a public hearing and has seemingly been shelved. Leaders like Indiana Governor Mike Pence have decided that requiring armed employees and officers should be a decision left to teachers, parents, and local officials. "Decisions that are nearest and dearest to our hearts ought to be made by parents and local school officials," Pence told reporters. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder reflected a similar view when he vetoed legislation letting teachers carry guns, because it contained no provision for schools to opt out.
In Oklahoma a bill allowing policies for arming trained employees recently died in the Senate Education Committee. Similarly, North Dakota defeated a bill allowing people with permits to bring weapons to school. And the New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected legislation letting local school districts seek voter approval for their school staff to carry guns. However, the NRA Executive Vice president Wayne LaPierre disagreed, warning that gun-free schools "tell every insane killer in America that schools are their safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk." "Raising the Bar: Reviewing STEM Education in America" Yesterday, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing regarding the need to enhance and create new STEM education initiatives, in order to maintain a globally competitive economy. Chairman Rokita led the hearing as several experts on STEM education including George Scott, the U.S. Government Accountability Office's Director for Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, Bill Kurtz, the CEO of the Denver School of Science and Technology, and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. While the best methods to maintain, evaluate, and expand STEM education varied among each participant, there was a strong consensus on the importance of STEM education for America's children. McCarthy had several ideas for expanding STEM education, including aligning programs, maintaining and even increasing STEM programs, and implementing the soon-to-be released five-year STEM educational strategy. Despite these important federal initiatives, McCarthy emphasized the two most important aspects of STEM education – quality teachers and family involvement. Scott continued by emphasizing the need for accountability and evaluation of STEM education initiatives. "Agencies that are limiting the use of performance measures and evaluations are hampering STEM effectiveness," he commented. Kurtz shared about the various methods contributing to his students' success in STEM subjects. The dynamic combination of requiring STEM classes and projects, demanding a high rigor from students, and hiring teachers who are passionate about STEM have worked together to provide students with a unique and effective learning opportunity. He concluded by saying that modeling federal charter programs after the Denver School of Science and Technology's approach to STEM learning will work to rapidly improve the number of students who graduate with STEM degrees. Click here to watch the whole hearing.
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