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ESEA/NCLB Funding Facts

Bush Cuts ESEA by Five Percent

The president's ESEA request for FY 2004 is for $22.6 billion—a 5 percent cut ($1.2 billion) from the amount approved for FY 2003. Last year, his FY 03 budget also proposed to cut ESEA/NCLB funding by $90 million. In his FY 03 budget, the president proposed only a 0.7 percent overall increase for education spending, and his FY 04 budget proposes only a .06 percent overall increase. If Congress had accepted President Bush's budgets for FY 02 and FY 03, funding for education would have been $8.2 billion less than was actually received. In fact, the president is claiming credit for funds he never proposed and indeed opposed throughout much of the Congressional budget and appropriations process.

Bush Administration Shortchanges ESEA by a Total of $23.8 Billion

In addition, the president's FY 04 budget falls $9.4 billion short of the overall amounts promised in ESEA/NCLB. In his three budgets, the cumulative shortfall is $23.8 billion. The president's FY 04 budget request for Title I is $6.15 billion short of the $18.5 billion promised in NCLB. That leaves almost 6 million children behind, even though Title I funding is only sufficient to fully serve 40 percent of eligible low-income children.

States Expect to Pick Up the Tab

What's more, the General Accounting Office found that states are likely to spend $3.9 billion on testing required under NCLB, and may spend as much as $5.3 billion. Under NCLB, the cumulative spending is likely to be only $2.34 billion. This comes at a time when states are already struggling with a cumulative budget shortfall of an estimated $100 billion, and education cutbacks and teacher layoffs have been spreading across the country.

Even More Cuts

Finally, although the Administration claims that it is providing "record support for teacher training and professional development," the president's FY 04 budget cuts funding for critical NCLB teacher training programs, including a cut of $81 million in Teacher Quality State Grants, $88 million in Math-Science Partnerships, elimination of $15 million in funding for Advanced Credentialing and elimination of $63 million in funding for Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology.

Below is a full year-by-year comparison of the Bush Administration's budget proposal for the Education Department [Note: ED is the acronym] and specific funding for ESEA/NCLB and what Congress actually appropriated. Feel free to contact us if you'd like to comment or receive more information:

Total US Department of Education Discretionary Budget

Sources: GAO and NEA

• President Bush has requested less than a 1 percent increase in education spending in each of his last two budgets.
• If the Bush budgets for FY 02-FY 04 had been enacted, there would be at least $10.726 billion less for education than was actually appropriated by Congress.

ED Budget Details:

FY 01 (pre-Bush) = $42.231 billion

FY 02 Bush budget request = $44.541 billion (+$2.31 billion (+5.5%) above FY 01)

Final FY 02 = $49.936 billion (+$5.395 billion above Bush budget; +$7.705 billion (+18.2%) above FY 01)

FY 03 Bush budget request = $50.310 billion (+$374 million (+0.7%) above final FY 02)

Final FY 03 = $53.114 billion (+$2.804 billion above Bush budget; +$3.178 billion (+6.4%) above final FY 02)

FY 04 Bush budget request = $53.139 billion (+$25 million (+0.05%) compared to final FY 03)

Final FY 04 = $55.666 billion (+$2.527 billion above Bush budget; +$2.552 (+4.8%) above final FY 03)

(Note: The FY 04 appropriations bill has passed the House, but will not be voted on by the Senate until 1/20/04)

Elementary and Secondary Education Act ("No Child Left Behind") Budget

• For ESEA/NCLB programs, the numbers are even worse.
• President Bush has proposed to cut ESEA funding below the previous year's level in each of his last two budgets.
• If the Bush budgets for FY 02-FY 04 had been enacted, there would be at least $6.632 billion less for NCLB programs than was actually appropriated by Congress.
• The cumulative gap between NCLB authorized levels and President Bush's proposed budgets is $23.79 billion.
• The cumulative gap between NCLB authorized levels and actual appropriations is $17.16 billion.

Details on ESEA/NCLB Funding:

FY 01 (pre-Bush) = $18.677 billion

FY 02 NCLB authorization = $26.417 billion

FY 02 Bush budget request = $19.138 billion (+$461 million (+2.5%) above FY 01)

Final FY 02 = $22.194 billion (+$3.056 billion above Bush budget; +$3.517 billion (+18.8%) above FY 01; $4.223 billion below authorization)

FY 03: NCLB authorization = $29.217 billion

FY 03 Bush budget request = $22.105 billion (-$89 million, 0.4% below final FY 02)

Final FY 03 = $23.838 billion (+$1.733 billion above Bush budget; +$1.644 billion (+7.4%) above final FY 02; $5.379 billion below authorization)

FY 04 NCLB authorization = $32.017 billion

FY 04 Bush budget = $22.621 billion ($1.217 billion, 5.1%, below final FY 03)

Final FY 04 = $24.464 billion (+$1.843 billion above Bush budget; +$626 million (+2.6%) above final FY 03; $7.553 billion below authorization)

Title I Funding

• If the Bush budgets for FY 02-FY 04 had been enacted, there would be at least $1.62 billion less for Title I than was actually appropriated by Congress.
• The cumulative gap between the Title I authorized level and President Bush's proposed budgets is $15.24 billion.
• The cumulative gap between the Title I authorized level and actual appropriations is $13.62 billion

Details on Title I Funding:

FY 01 (pre-Bush) = $8.763 billion

FY 02 NCLB authorization = $13.50 billion

FY 02 Bush budget request = $9.061 billion (+$298 million (+3.4%) above FY 01)

Final FY 02 = $10.350 billion (+$1.289 billion above Bush budget; +$1.587 billion (+18.1%) above FY 01; $3.150 billion below authorization)

FY 03: NCLB authorization = $16.00 billion

FY 03 Bush budget request = $11.350 billion (+$1.0 billion, +9.7% above final FY 02)

Final FY 03 = $11.689 billion (+$339 million above Bush budget; +$1.339 billion (+12.9%) above final FY 02; $4.311 billion below authorization)

FY 04 NCLB authorization = $18.50 billion

FY 04 Bush budget = $12.350 billion (+$661 million, +5.7% above final FY 03)

Final FY 04 = $12.342 billion (-$8 million below Bush budget; +$654 million (+5.6%) above final FY 03; $6.158 billion below authorization)January 2004 — Great Public Schools for Every Child