White House Releases Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
On Friday, the White House released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget proposal to Congress, including details for its vision of funding federal education programs. Within K-12 education, the proposal maintains Title I while eliminating 17 programs including the Javits Gifted and Talented grant program, afterschool and summer programs, literacy, family engagement, and more.
The programs cut under this proposal, which collectively were funded at $6.5 billion in FY 2027, would be replaced with the Make Education Great Again grant program—a new $2 billion block grant to states which would primarily focus on evidence-based reading and math instruction.
For special education, the proposal would increase the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants to states program from $14.2 billion to $15.4 billion and the IDEA Part C Infants, Toddlers, and Families program from $540 million to $590 million. However, the proposal would also eliminate the IDEA Preschool Program and the Part D National Activities, including personnel preparation and development, technical assistance, parent support, and more. Education research, K-12 teacher preparation, and professional development would also see significant cuts or elimination.
The Administration's budget is a non-binding document that guides Congress as it drafts spending bills for the upcoming Fiscal Year. It is now up to Congress to decide how to fund key federal programs, including education.
Action Alert: Tell Congress to Support All Parts of IDEA
Last year, facing proposed cuts, CEC members activated to urge Congress to fund all parts of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and our message was heard. Now we face the same headwinds, and your voices are as critical as ever. Please join your colleagues and call on Congress to fund all of IDEA, including the IDEA Preschool Program and IDEA National Activities, which the Administration aims to eliminate.
Please take a moment to send a short message to Congress, and please share this action alert widely.