President Trump Proposes Transformative, Student-First Budget to Return Power to States, Limit Federal Control of Education
Budget Calls for Expanding Education Freedom, Block Granting K-12 Education Funds, and a Separate and Reformed Federal Student Aid
Adds New Funding to Support Children with Disabilities, Career and Technical Education for All Students
WASHINGTON — The President released today his budget request for the U.S. Department of Education for the 2021 fiscal year. This transformative, student-first budget prioritizes improving student achievement, reducing the outsized Federal role in education, and returning control over education decisions to whom it belongs—State and local leaders, teachers, parents, and students.
The budget calls for consolidating nearly all existing K-12 formula and competitive grant programs into one block grant to States, called the Elementary and Secondary Education for the Disadvantaged (ESED) Block Grant. Funds would be allocated using the same formulas as the Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies program. The budget also builds on the multi-year Federal Student Aid (FSA) reform project U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos launched in 2018 to improve management, oversight, and administration of student aid programs. To that end, the budget also proposes to answer a question Secretary DeVos asked at last year’s FSA training conference: Why isn’t FSA a stand-alone government corporation, run by a professional, expert, and apolitical Board of Governors?
“This budget proposal is about one thing—putting students and their needs above all else,” said Secretary DeVos. “That starts with creating Education Freedom Scholarships and helping 1 million more students find the best educational fit for them. We know education freedom helps students succeed, and it’s long past time for Congress to act to give students and their families more choices and more control.
“Our budget puts an end to education earmarks. Instead of Washington politicians and bureaucrats forcing local schools to spend limited resources on D.C.’s priorities, this budget proposes putting state and local leaders, teachers, parents, and students themselves in control of education. Our block grant proposal simply aligns the resources with the law of the land—the Every Student Succeeds Act. States will be free to focus on people, not paperwork. Results, not regulations. We know States will spend their money differently, and that’s okay. In fact, that’s what we hope they do. They know best how to serve their students.
“We also propose making critical new investments in supporting children with disabilities, moving closer to fulfilling Congress’ promise to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). And we’re asking for new resources for career and technical education to ensure every student in America has access to skills training to help them prepare for successful careers.
“Our proposal further asks Congress to partner with us in studying the Office of Federal Student Aid becoming a stand-alone entity. FSA has, in recent years, essentially ballooned into a $1.5 trillion bank that has outgrown its current governance structure. Students and their families deserve better from FSA. In the meantime, we’re continuing to build on our important customer-centric Next Generation reforms. Through a singular FSA platform, operating system, and unified website, we will provide customers with a seamless student loan experience from application through repayment. We’re also providing students with more information than ever before so they can make better decisions about how they finance their education.”