Washington Watch: Tough funding talks down the road – Community College Daily

The Senate Approves FY 2024 Spending Bill for Education and Workforce Development

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a fiscal year 2024 spending bill for education, workforce development, and other programs. This sets the stage for negotiations later this year to reconcile differences between the Senate bill and the House spending bill.

Senate Appropriators Spend Up to Caps

Unlike their House counterparts, Senate appropriators drafted bills that spent the maximum amount allowed under caps established in legislation to raise the debt ceiling earlier this year. The Senate bills were bipartisan, allowing the committee to approve all 12 appropriations bills before Congress went on recess in August.

On the other hand, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-ED) bill has only progressed through subcommittee. A full committee markup before the August recess did not happen, suggesting that House Republicans may not have enough votes to pass their bill in committee or on the floor.

In addition to spending up to the caps, side agreements made with the debt-ceiling bill provided $2 billion in “emergency funding” for the LHHS-ED bill. However, the total funding for the LHHS-ED bill is $1.2 billion less than in fiscal year 2023, which would be the first year-to-year reduction in a decade if the bill were enacted as is. The Senate bill is more generous to community college priorities compared to the approximately 30% cut in the House bill.

Pell Boost

The Senate bill includes various outcomes for key community college programs. The Pell Grant maximum award would see a $250 increase, reaching $7,645 in the 2024-25 award year. While this increase is smaller than what the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and other Pell stakeholders are advocating for, it compares favorably to no increase in the House bill.

The Senate bill also includes a small reduction from prior Pell appropriations to fund other programs. Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants each experienced a $10 million cut (both would be eliminated in the House bill).

Most Higher Education Act Title III and Title V programs would receive modest increases. However, the Strengthening Institutions Program would see a $10 million cut, reaching $112 million. The bill would maintain funding for most other higher education programs, including TRIO and GEAR-UP, and increase funding for the Childcare Access Means Parents in School program by $5 million, reaching $80 million.

Funding for the Perkins Career and Technical Education state grants would increase by $40 million, offset somewhat by a $20 million decrease in CTE national programs. Adult Basic Education would be maintained at $729 million.

A Decrease for SCCTG Program

At the Department of Labor (DOL), the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program, one of AACC’s top priorities, would see a decrease from $65 million to $55 million in the Senate bill. AACC will strongly advocate for final legislation to reflect the House bill, which maintains funding at $65 million. This is one of the few instances where the House bill is more generous than the Senate’s.

The Senate bill would maintain funding for DOL’s Workforce and Innovation Opportunity Act funding streams for adults, dislocated workers, and youth. It would also increase funds for the apprenticeship grants program by $5 million, reaching $280 million.

CR on the Horizon

The path to enactment for the LHHS-ED and other funding bills is uncertain. Lawmakers have an incentive to pass all the bills by the end of the calendar year to avoid a 1% across-the-board reduction that includes defense programs.

Congress will likely need to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open after the start of the fiscal year on October 1. However, the dissatisfaction of the far right with the appropriations process so far may make it difficult to pass a CR in the House with Republican votes, potentially leading to a government shutdown. Speaker Kevin McCarthy will likely need some Democratic support to pass a CR and final funding legislation, as he did with the debt-ceiling legislation.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education.
   • Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university.
   • Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex.
   • Indicator 4.3.1: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training.
   • Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment, or training.

Analysis

The article discusses the Senate Appropriations Committee’s approval of a spending bill for education and workforce development programs. The issues highlighted in the article are related to education funding and the impact on community college programs and workforce training grants. Based on this information, the following analysis can be made:

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Under SDG 4, the specific targets identified are:
  • Target 4.1: Ensuring completion of free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education.
  • Target 4.3: Ensuring equal access to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education.
• Under SDG 8, the specific target identified is:
  • Target 8.6: Substantially reducing the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators related to the identified targets. However, some indicators that can be used to measure progress towards these targets include:

• Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics.
• Indicator 4.3.1: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training.
• Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: ccdaily.com

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