Congress Approves Bill Flat Funding K-12 Until March 4
Funding for K-12 programs will remain frozen at last year's levels for more than two months, thanks to a measure passed by both houses of Congress today. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The bill extends funding for almost all federal programs at fiscal year 2010 levels until March 4. That means a new, more-conservative Congress will get to set 2011 spending levels for K-12 programs.
Education advocates are worried about what that could mean, given that House Republicans, who will soon hold a majority in the chamber, have said they want to roll back spending to fiscal year 2008 levels.
But the bill approved today does include money to help shore up the Pell Grant program to help low-income students pay for college, which was facing a major shortfall, due to high demand. And it contains language on highly qualified teachers aimed at helping those who go through alternative certification programs, such as Teach for America. (Check out this explanation by Steve Sawchuk of our Teacher Beat blog.)
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, cheered the teacher-
