House Appropriators mark-up FY 2024 Education spending bill

This week, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee pushed the FY 2024 appropriations process forward by holding multiple subcommittee mark-ups. On Friday, July 14, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS-ED) and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2024 spending bill. Overall, the FY 2024 Labor-HHS-Education bill provides $140 billion for the agencies and programs in the expansive bill—a cut of $60 billion, or 29 percent, below 2023 levels. The proposed cut reflects the House GOP’s leadership’s decision to cut spending even further than outlined in the last month’s deal on the country’s debt limit and spending cuts, as outlined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. A number of education programs are proposed for elimination in the bill while others are dealt substantial cuts. If enacted as proposed, the impact would be devastating, particularly for schools in low-income communities. House subcommittee approval of the bill is the first step in funding federal education programs for FY 2024. Ultimately, the House and Senate will have to negotiate a final spending bill and the Senate’s proposal, which is expected to be released and marked up later this month, is expected to be very different from the House plan.

Overall, the bill would provide $57.1 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education—a cut of $22.5 billion when compared to FY 2023. Of that amount, $1.329 billion funding would go to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative – the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. This is level with last year’s funding and the same amount proposed by President Biden in his FY 2024 budget proposal.

Because costs to operate programs continue to increase, the proposed funding level would likely result in fewer students served in the 2024-2025 school year, if it were to become law. The Afterschool Alliance and friends of afterschool and summer learning programs have been making the case on Capitol Hill that additional funding is required to support all students in need, through testimony, hill visits, and emails to members of Congress, including over 700 messages sent to Congress by the afterschool community during National Summer Learning Week alone, but there is much more to be done.

Key funding provisions of the bill that would support afterschool and summer learning programs include the following:

• Level funding for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which supports before-school, afterschool and summer learning programs for almost 1 million students. The program would receive $1.329 billion.
• Level funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, for a total of $8.02 billion. This Department of Health and Human Services program supports school-age children with afterschool and summer programs, in addition to providing child care to infants and toddlers.
• A $14.7 billion cut for ESSA Title I grants to Local Education Agencies, for a total $3.682 billion, reflecting an 80 percent cut. These Education funds can be used by school districts to support afterschool and summer learning.
• Level funding of $1.38 billion for Title IV Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants. These funds can be used for afterschool Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), physical activity and a host of other uses.
• A $50 million cut for Full-Service Community Schools, for a total of $100 million. Full Service Community Schools funding supports comprehensive services and expands evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities, including afterschool and summer learning components.
• Level funding at $216 million within School Safety National Activities for Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants to help Local Education Agencies (LEAs) directly increase the number of mental health and child development experts in schools.
• Level funding for Career and Technical Education State Grants, for a total of $1.43 billion.
• No funding for the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention program.
• Elimination of funding for the Federal Work Study, cutting all $1.2 billion the program received in FY 2023. Federal Work Study can help support college students working in afterschool and other community-based organizations while attending college.
• A $652 million cut for the Corporation for National and Community Service, for a proposed level of $661 million. AmeriCorps positions include those supporting afterschool and summer learning programs.
• Elimination of funding for WIOA Youth Job Training state grants, a cut of $948 million that would eliminate job training and employment services for 128,000 youth who face barriers to employment.
• Elimination of funding for Job Corps, a cut of $1.8 billion that would eliminate job training and employment services for 50,000 youth who face barriers to employment.
• Elimination of funding for Child Care Access Means Parents in School, a cut of $75 million below the enacted level.

Following Friday’s approval of the bill by the Subcommittee, the measure should move to full Committee action later this month. The Senate is also expected to act on its spending plan for education before the August recess. The annual spending process continues as lawmakers eye the September 30th deadline for passing all spending bills. Seasoned advocates say that enacting all 12 bills by that deadline is unlikely, and a continuing resolution of some kind will be needed to prevent a full or partial federal government shut-down.

Speaking out this month is especially important! Friends of afterschool can weigh in with their members of Congress about the importance of funding afterschool and summer learning programs and the impact of devastating program eliminations and cuts.