MARCH MADNESS: FEDERAL
EDUCATION UPDATE
AASA
March 2012
Overview
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ESEA
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House
Senate
Waivers
Funding
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FY13
Sequestration
ESEA Reauthorization: Overview
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House Cmte passed
ESEA bills out of
committee in late
February
Very partisan
Can expect it to move
to the floor, but not
much further
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Senate passed their
bipartisan bill out of
committee in October
Do not expect it to the
floor any time soon
ESEA Reauthorization: The Good
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Both snap AYP, AMO, 100% proficiency
Both require annual testing in math/reading in
grades 3-8 and once in high school
Continued data disaggregation
States get big say in intervening in low-performing
schools
Eliminates requirement re: tutoring and school
choice
Both reauthorize REAP
ESEA Reauthorization: Points of Concern
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House
 Maintenance
 Funding
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of Effort
Cap
 Equitable Participation
 Charters
Senate
 Comparability
Changes
 Reliance on One-Time
testing
 Treatment of Foster
Kids
 Codification of RttT
and i3
ESEA: House & Senate Differences
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Both call for higher standards; House makes it illegal for
Secretary to endorse specific efforts (Common Core)
House model lacks any specific turn around models, as well as
any parameters in identifying who would use models
House doesn’t include another percentage of schools for special
attention (Senate includes gap schools, administration includes
those at-risk of 5%)
House bill eliminates HQT requirement
House bill requires SEA/LEAs to develop teacher evaluation
systems (Driven by student performance and having more than 2
levels); Senate only requires it for those applying for competitive
grants
House bill includes significant expansion of funding flexibility
ESEA: Regulatory Relief
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Flexibility being offered in 11 specific areas
States have to adopt all three policy priorities:
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Higher standards
Differentiated accountability system
Teacher/principal evaluation system based on growth
Conditional, quid-pro-quo deal, with states having to
adopt specific policy priorities in exchange for relief
ESEA: Regulatory Relief
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To date, 39+ states have expressed interest in the
waivers
11 states applied for and received waivers in the
first round: CO, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MN, NJ, NM,
OK, and TN
26 more states applied in the second round
Who hasn’t applied? AL, AK, CA, HI, ME, MT, NV,
NH, ND, PA, TX, WV, and WY
One more round, applications due Sept. 6
FY13 Budget Proposal
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USED only non-defense funding increase -about
$1.7 billion
$30 billion to retain, hire teachers and first
responders
$30 billion to modernize at least 35,000 schools
FY13 Budget Proposal
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Level funds Title I and IDEA
Consolidates 38 programs down to 11
$850 million for RTT
$150 million for i3
$2.5 billion for teacher quality formula grants
$400 million for Teachers/Leaders Innovation Fund
NEW $5 billion grant program to reform the
teaching profession
Eliminates funding for Impact Aid Federal Property
Program
AASA Advocacy Resources
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AASA Website: www.aasa.org
AASA Blog: www.aasa.org/aasablog.aspx
AASA Twitter: @Noellerson
Weekly Leg Corps: Concise weekly wrap up of
what happened in Congress (email Sasha)
Monthly Update: Summary of everything going on
in Congress (email Noelle)
Policy Insider: A periodic publication that takes a
more in-depth look at current education policy
issues (email Noelle)
Questions?
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Noelle Ellerson (nellerson@aasa.org)
Assistant Director, Policy Analysis & Advocacy
Sasha Pudelski (spudelski@aasa.org)
Government Affairs Manager