DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Statement by Beryl Dorsett Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education On Compensatory Education for the Disadvantaged Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am pleased to appear before your Committee to discuss the 1989 budget request for Compensatory Education for the Disadvantaged. We are requesting $4.6 billion a $230 million increase over the 1988 appropriation. This request reflects the Administration's continuing commitment to help States and and localities meet the special educational needs of disadvantaged children. Secretary Bennett has placed the highest priority on programs that benefit the educationally disadvantaged. This activity makes up one of the largest budget items within the Department, accounting for 21 percent of our 1989 budget request -compared to 19 percent of our 1988 appropriation. As you know, legislation is now pending before Congress that would reauthorize the compensatory education programs currently authorized under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, as well as create several new funding authorities. Since action is not yet completed on this legislation, the request for the Compensatory Education account is proposed for later transmittal. The amounts shown in our budget request indicate how funds might be distributed; upon enactment of the authorizing legislation we will submit a formal request for funding which indicates an amount for each specific program within the total request. That formal request for funding, submitted after enactment of H.R. 5, will reflect our analysis of the changes made by H. R. 5 in existing program authorities and may include changes in the distribution of funds for the activities discussed in the remainder of this statement. Within our 1989 request, we expect to increase funding for Grants to Local Educational Agencies (including providing the first funding since 1981 for Concentration Grants), the State Agency Neglected and Delinquent program, State Administration, and Evaluation and Technical Assistance. We expect to fund the State Agency Migrant and Handicapped programs at their 1988 levels. No funds are requested for the High School Equivalency (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Programs (CAMP) because they duplicate services provided by other Federal education programs at a much lower cost. Grants to Local Educational Agencies Chapter 1 Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) will remain the primary vehicle for providing compensatory education services to the disadvantaged. Within the LEA Grant program, we expect to request over $3.9 billion for Basic Grants, which is $76.6 million more than the 1988 amount. These funds would be allocated under the basic grant formula that distributes funds to school districts that apply and have at least 10 eligible children. Consistent with the Administration's policy of improving the targeting of resources, we expect to request an additional $154 million for Concentration Grants. These funds would flow to areas with higher numbers and percentages of low-income children areas that have the greatest need. We anticipate that nearly 14,000 school districts, 90 percent of the districts in the United States, would continue receiving Chapter 1 funds in school year 1989-90. We estimate that school districts could serve between 4.8 and 5.0 million children with Basic Grant and Concentration Grant funds. However, this range is strictly an estimate because local school districts, not the Federal Government, determine the actual number served and thus the Federal contribution per child in any year. Program data attest to the large variation in the ways States and localities choose to use their Federal funds. In the 1985-86 school year, which is the latest year for which actual participation data are available, the program served 4.5 million children and the average Federal contribution per child ranged from $403 to $1,499 depending on the State. State Agency Programs For the Chapter 1 Migrant Program we expect to request $269 million, the same as the 1988 level. Of this amount, about $7.2 million would support migrant coordination activities, including the Migrant Student Record Transfer System, and the remainder would support compensatory education activities provided by the State. In 1985-86, the latest year for which participation data are available, 383,000 children received services in the migrant program. We expect to request $151 million in 1989 for the Chapter 1 Handicapped program. This is also the same as the 1988 appropriation level. H.R. 5 will change the eligibility requirements for this program, so that it is not possible at this time to estimate the number of children who will be served by these funds. For the Neglected and Delinquent program, we expect to request $32.6 million. This is a slight increase over the 1988 appropriation level and would restore the program to its 1987 level. In 1985-86, the latest year for which participation data are available, States provided services to almost 53,000 students. State Administration To permit States to fulfill the various administrative requirements of Chapter 1, we expect to request $41 million for State Administration in 1989. This is a $2.7 million increase over the 1988 appropriation level and would provide additional funds for States to carry out the increased administrative, technical assistance, and accountability provisions contained in the House and Senate versions of the reauthorizing legislation pending before Congress. Evaluation and Technical Assistance We expect to request $12 million for Evaluation and Technical Assistance, a $4.8 million increase over the 1988 appropriation level. Both the House- and Senate-passed bills call for an expansion in the services provided by the Technical Assistance Centers, evaluation of Chapter 1 programs, and a 10-year national longitudinal study of Chapter 1 participants. The requested increase in funding would permit us to address these new program Bandates. Like last year, funding for this activity would be available only in the year for which it is appropriated. HEP and CAMP We request no funds for the High School Equivalency program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant program (CAMP). They are costly to operate and duplicate services provided by other Federal programs at a much lower cost. My colleagues and I will be happy to respond to any questions you may have. EDUCATION : New York, NY, August 8, 1940 : Baruch City College, 1964, B.B.A. City University of New York, Graduate Studies : Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education : Acting Assistant Principal, Public School 229, New York, NY : Acting Principal, Public School 73, New York, NY : Coordinator, Social Studies New York City Board of Education : Sabbatical for Study in Africa : Assistant to Principal Mott Community Junior High School, Bronx, NY : Director, Chapter 1 Programs New York City Board of Education : Coordinator, Chapter 1 Funded Programs Teacher, New York City Board of Education : Numerous Civic and Educational Recognitions COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS OVERVIEW HEARING Mr. NATCHER. Thank you, Ms. Dorsett. As you know, each year we have an overview hearing where the full Committee on Appropriations attends, and we have before the committee, the Director of the Office of Budget and Management, Mr. Miller, and the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Baker, along with the Chairman of the Joint Economic Council. That is mandatory under the law. And during the hearings this time, we pointed out to Mr. Miller, the Director of OMB, that the budget request for education, for a change, was excellent. The budget request for education, as you know, for fiscal year 1988 totaled about $13,900,000,000. And when we finished the bill on the House and Senate side, and in the conference on the resolution, the figure was about $20,900,000,000. FISCAL YEAR 1989 BUDGET REQUEST Now, the amount requested by Education in the bill before us today in the President's budget shows an increase of $849,000,000, which is good. Questioning Mr. Miller and those present at the overview hearings, I said to him, quite frankly, that on our subcommittee and our full Committee on Appropriations, we appreciated the action that they had finally decided to take in bringing the Education figure back up to the point where it should be. And in fact, they increased it as you know. Ms. Dorsett, in other words, simply bringing education into the 20th century. It seems for a period of years, we have tried and tried not only with this Administration, but with other Administrations, to say to them that we have to educate our children, take care of the health of our people, if we will continue to have the strongest country in the world. So, this time, we really appreciated the figures that were submitted to us for education, as you pointed out, as far as Chapter 1 is concerned, I believe the increase is $238,000,000, which is excellent. We hope to be able to bring out a good bill, keeping the amounts accordingly, as far as increases are concerned, to the exact figure. Of course, I don't know at this time, no member of our subcommittee could tell you, but we are making a good start. This is the year of 1988, and this is a good year to bring in this kind of a budget. We are ready to receive it. I don't know why it has to be brought in particularly in the year 1988. It should have been 1987, should have been 1986, 1985. But anyway, this is a good year to bring it in. Mr. Pfluger, who knows more about this bill than I do, he will tell you the figures submitted are good. I wanted you to know that, Mrs. Dorsett, you and the ladies and gentlemen that are present. CHAPTER 1 REAUTHORIZATION As you know, the Chapter 1 program is not fully authorized for fiscal year 1989. Is the Department participating in the reauthorization activity now ongoing in the House and the Senate? Any participation, would you say? Much or little, a whole lot? What would you say? |