The last two and a half years have been packed with previously unimaginable challenges for education, and while Congress has responded, recent achievement scores and the ongoing experience of all involved show there is much more to do to recover. In laws enacted from March 2020 to March 2021, Congress provided $280 billion for Department of Education programs — almost four times the agency’s regular annual budget. That pandemic relief was intended to cover a host of new and — one hopes — short-term costs for purchasing personal protective equipment, hardware and software to provide virtual learning, upgrades to make school facilities safer, emergency support for college students, among other needs. The moratorium on repaying federal student loans and planned targeted student loan debt relief represent additional support for education. But these investments pale in comparison to the remaining cost of lost learning that could impact not just students but the economy for years.
As the immediate crisis of the pandemic wanes, the problems for teaching and learning remain and, in some cases, are growing. However, even as students have begun a new academic year, Congress is postponing decisions on government funding for the fiscal year that started on Oct. 1. This delay in enacting new investments in education will only add to the difficulties for students, educators, school districts, colleges and others providing education services.
Many students, families, faculty, and staff suffered emotional and economic traumas, with some now living in drastically different situations. Many students lost significant educational time, with their achievement reflecting the gaps. College enrollment has declined by more than 9% since the beginning of the pandemic, with many students taking on new responsibilities and unable to afford to pursue higher education. The nationwide teacher shortage that existed before the pandemic has worsened, with unfilled vacancies of teachers, school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and other school personnel in a majority of states. Additional federal support could help ameliorate these problems.
Investments in education are among the best the country can make. They reap rewards immediately in terms of student achievement and knowledge, and over the long term in greater economic output, community engagement, and a well-informed populace prepared for a global economic environment. Despite these facts, Congress faces competing demands for federal investments and each year, federal education funding falls short of meeting the needs. Nobody argues against education, but there is debate about the right size of the investment and the role of the federal government.
In a typical year, the federal government spends less than 2% of its budget on education. That’s in large part because more than 90% of elementary and secondary education funding comes from state and local budgets, not the federal budget – a very different breakdown than in other industrialized countries. Polls show the public thinks the U.S. spends too little on education, and President Biden agrees; last year the administration’s proposed “Build Back Better” agenda included transformative education investments for universal pre-K education and child care, school construction, educator training, career and technical education and adult education, student aid and college completion, free community college, support for higher education institutions, and workforce development, among other areas. These proposals were whittled down and in the end, not a single one was enacted. The president also requested record investments in ongoing education programs, and while Congress eventually approved a 3% increase for Education, it was only one tenth of what the president had requested for 2022.
This year, Congress can change follow up the emergency COVID-relief spending with increased, on-going support along the education continuum. After the Great Recession, Congress provided about $110 billion in one-time emergency education funding but then left education funding to shrink in subsequent years when most states slashed their own education budgets. In fact, federal funding for the Department of Education this year is more than $12 billion below the 2011 level in inflation-adjusted dollars.
This fall, Congress should avoid repeating the mistake of having a funding cliff for education. Instead, it should invest in ways that address the effects of the pandemic — learning disruptions and lost academic time and the physical and mental health hits, among others. It should also increase investments to address needs that existed long before the pandemic — for early childhood education, special education, access to higher education and career technical education, and many other in-school and wraparound services that help provide the education and training that is the bedrock of our society. As Congress makes decisions about government funding for fiscal year 2023, education funding should be a big priority. A significant increase in the federal education investment would have a long-lasting impact on students and their families, on educators and staff, and will boost the economy at the same time. That would make this a far better year for education.
Sarah Abernathy is executive director for Committee for Education Funding, which is a non-profit coalition of more than 100 education associations and institutions that advocates for a greater total federal investment along the education continuum.
