One week until the Virtual Afterschool for All Challenge: A policy and appropriations update

A month ago the president released his FY 2021 budget proposal, officially kicking off the appropriations process in Washington, D.C. Since then the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittees have been soliciting spending priorities from members of Congress and the public, holding hearings to seek testimony from administration officials, and beginning to draft the twelve FY 2021 spending bills. Friends of afterschool took note that the president’s budget proposal once again proposed to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program. Now, nearly 400 advocates are expected to participate in virtual meetings with Congress on March 18 to raise their voices in support of federal 21st CCLC afterschool and summer learning funding.

On Thursday, February 27, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) Subcommittee heard from Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her defense of the Department of Education’s controversial FY2021 Budget Request. She summarized the largest changes to the budget, including consolidating 29 programs into one block grant, funding an education voucher tax credit, and beginning the process to make the Federal Student Aid office an independent entity from the Department of Education. The hearing was often contentious, as many of DeVos’s previous appearances before Congress have been. Several times, DeVos and some members brought up one measure of student outcomes (the 2019 NAEP scores) as a justification for either keeping or consolidating programs. Full Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) questioned the secretary repeatedly about the need to continue to fund and support community schools and afterschool programs.

This past Thursday, March 5, Secretary DeVos returned to Capitol Hill, this time to testify in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee. Facing a friendlier audience than at the House hearing, the secretary summarized the largest changes proposed by the White House budget request, including consolidating 29 elementary and secondary education programs into one block grant and funding an education voucher tax credit. In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chair Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) made clear his support for key federal education programs including afterschool funding, and his rejection of the proposed consolidation and eliminations in the president’s proposed budget, stating: “Because we are going to be talking about current law we are going to have a conversation not unlike some of the others we have had about the cuts proposed. I think it is unlikely this Committee will accept limitations to large funding formula grants that support afterschool, STEM education, school safety, etc.”

In addition to the appropriations hearings in the House and Senate, this week Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) circulated a bipartisan Dear Colleague letter that will be sent in the coming days to House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee leaders Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) sending a clear message in support of a $100 million increase in funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program.

Last week as well, a broad spectrum of local, state and national organizations representing all 50 states sent their own letter of support for increasing 21st Century Community Learning Centers by $100 million to the House and Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members. The increase would support an additional 100,000 students. The letters come on the heels of more than 7,000 calls and emails in support of 21st CCLC sent to Congress since the president’s budget was released on February 10. Furthermore, last week hundreds of advocates and leaders of local YMCA afterschool programs were in D.C. for their Advocacy Days, hundreds of local Boys and Girls Club students and leaders, and hundreds of anti-hunger advocates were also in D.C. for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, all echoing the message of support for federal 21^st CCLC afterschool and summer learning programs. 

The FY2021 appropriations process is just getting started and still has a long road ahead, with time left for others to show their support for afterschool and summer learning. In the face of the fourth proposed elimination of 21st Century Community Learning Centers by the White House in the FY2021 budget proposal, the outpouring of support this month (and in the coming weeks) is encouraging to the afterschool field.

With health and safety as our top priority, we switched our in-person Afterschool for All Challenge to a virtual event. The show of support for afterschool will be strong on March 18, with nearly 400 friends of afterschool programs expected to reach out to Congressional offices through virtual meetings to advocate for 21^st CCLC. In addition, we hope thousands more will join them by reaching out to congressional offices using the Afterschool for All Challenge online tools.