Where is the long-term funding for ESEA? That's the million-dollar question educators are asking.
"Without adequate funding, the regulations seem to be contradictory to a quality program," observes Martha Wallace, a member of the NEA Board of Directors and CTA's ESEA Workgroup. "There are all these requirements out there and no commitment on the part of the Bush administration to continue funding ESEA after the first year."
"Congress has committed to dollars to fight a war in Afghanistan," notes Pixie Hayward Schickele, a CTA Board member who chairs the ESEA Workgroup. "If we go to war in Iraq, a commitment will be made to fully fund that war. We are getting signals, however, that there is no long-term commitment of the federal money necessary for success of this reauthorization of ESEA, to make sure that no child is really left behind."
The goals of the ESEA could be undercut by a lack of state and federal funding, according to a study by the Center on Education Policy. The research group notes that the law boosts federal funds for education by $4 billion, but the 2.8 percent increase Bush is seeking in his current budget will do little to help states meet the requirements of ESEA.
On one hand, the legislation giveth funding - $15 billion or a 41 percent increase in federal funding since fiscal year 2000 for U.S. schools. On the other hand, the Bush administration taketh funds away from public schools. The overall picture shows a failure of the administration to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to helping the nation's poorest schools achieve academic success.