Final education spending bill increases afterschool funding

UPDATE: Sept. 28: Today the president signed the FY2019 Defense-LHHS-CR spending bill into law. See our statement here for more information.

UPDATE: Sept. 19: Yesterday by a vote of 93-7 the Senate approved the conference report for HR 6157, the FY 19 minibus carrying the Defense and Labor, HHS, Education spending bills as well as a continuing resolution through Dec. 7 for all remaining spending bills. The entire bill totals $854 billion and it's the first time in 11 years that Congress has passed the LHHS bill. The House is expected to vote on HR 6157 next week prior to the end of the current federal fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Exciting news: More children and youth may have access to afterschool and summer learning programs next year, as Congress has adopted a badly-needed increase in 21^st Century Community Learning Centers appropriation.

Yesterday a joint House and Senate Conference Committee approved and filed a two-bill major spending package (H.R. 6157) that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) and Defense for fiscal year 2019 (FY 19). The package also includes a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to maintain funding for other agencies that will run through Dec. 7, 2018. Appropriators aim to pass nine of the 12 spending bills by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, using the CR for the three remaining bills.

In excellent news for parents, students, and friends of afterschool programs, H.R. 6157 increases funding for the federal 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) program by $10 million, which will further support local afterschool and summer learning programs.

The bipartisan LHHS-Defense spending ‘minibus’ package reflects a compromise between the House and Senate spending bills passed earlier this year and marks the first time since 2007 that the House and Senate have conferenced an LHHS spending bill. Next steps for the bill are clear: the Senate is expected to vote on the spending package next week with the House planning to vote on the measure during the last full week of September, sending the bill to the president’s desk to be signed into law prior to the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The $10 million increase to Community Learning Centers brings the program up to a record level of $1.222 billion. This means an additional 10,000 students in grades pre-K through 12^th can access quality afterschool and summer learning programs. The increase is a welcome change from the president’s proposed FY2019 budget released last February that would have eliminated all funding for afterschool programs.

A special thank-you is owed to all parents, students, and friends of afterschool and summer learning programs, as well as allied organizations and advocates that let Congress know the value of these programs to local communities. Thank you to the House and Senate LHHS appropriations leadership as well for their support of afterschool and summer learning programs, including Reps. Cole (R-Okla.) and DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sens. Blunt (R-Mo.) and Murray (D-Wash.). In addition to increasing funding for Community Learning Centers, the conferenced spending bill also supports afterschool through a number of other funding streams including:

• Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies: $15.860 billion, $100 million more than FY2018 funding. Title I provides basic and flexible funding to low-income school districts to improve student outcomes. Schools are able to spend Title I funds on afterschool and summer learning programs.
• Title II-A Funds for Teacher Professional Development: $2.056 billion, level with FY2018.
• Title IV Part F Full Service Community Schools: $17.5 million, level with FY2018. This funding through the Department of Education helps support community school development and expansion at the local level.
• Title IV Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: $1.170 billion (increased by $70 million) is for school districts to support activities that provide students with a well-rounded education, ensure safe and supportive learning environments, and use technology to improve instruction. Allowable uses for the grant funding includes support for afterschool science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities. 
• TRIO and GEAR UP: $1.060 billion and $360 million respectively. These programs help first-generation college students prepare for, enter, and complete college, and are increased by $50 million and $10 million respectively.
• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): $5.276 billion, increased by $50 million on top of the historic increase provided in FY2018. In addition to supporting childcare for children ages birth through five, the CCDBG funds afterschool programs for just under one million school age children.
• Career, Technical and Adult Education - The bill provides $1.263 billion for career, technical and adult education programs, an increase of $70 million over FY2018, to ensure that all students have the opportunity have the opportunity to develop the technical, academic, and employability skills—through in-school and out-of-school experiences—on their pathways into well-paid careers.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program: $101 million for this evidence-based program based in the Department of Health and Human Services that supports in part afterschool pregnancy prevention programs, down from $108 million last year.
• Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS): The agreement includes $1.083 billion for CNCS, an increase of $19 million over fiscal year 2018, to expand investments that help thousands of nonprofits, schools, faith-based groups, and local governments meet pressing local needs through service and social innovation. This funding will expand support for more than 345,000 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members serving in 50,000 locations, providing direct services and mobilizing millions of additional volunteers to solve problems, expand opportunity, and strengthen communities, including through work in afterschool programs.
• Community Services Block Grant: The bill provides a $10 million increase for this program for a total of $725 million for Community Service programs.
• Opioids & Mental Health: The conference agreement provides $3.8 billion in Health and Human Services for programs addressing opioids and mental health, an increase of $206 million over FY2018. This includes $1.9 billion in enhanced state grants to address the opioid epidemic and mental health, and $100 million to address the needs of children who are affected by parental substance use. 

Thank you again; and ahead of the Senate and House voting on the spending bill later this month, it remains a great time to thank your congressional representatives and let Congress know that federal afterschool funding is critical to support local community-based afterschool and summer learning programs in your community!