To:     LWVO
From:   Joan Platz
Education Update for January 2, 2006

1) 126th General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate have canceled
session on January 4, 2006, and no committee meetings are scheduled
for this week.  The House and Senate have scheduled sessions for
January 10 and 11, 2006, and committee hearings for January 12, 2006.

*Minority Leader of the Ohio House, Representative Chris Redfern, was
elected Ohio Democratic Party Chairman on December 19, 2005.  He will
retain his elected seat in the Ohio House representing the 80th Ohio
District, but will step down from his leadership position in the Ohio
House.

2) 109th Congress:  The U.S. House and Senate are now in recess.  The
U.S. House reconvenes on January 31, 2006 and the U. S. Senate on
January 18, 2006.

*President Bush signed into law on December 30, 2005 the FY06
appropriations for the departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education - H.R. 3010 - The Education, H&HS, and Labor
Appropriations Act totaling $602 billion.  Discretionary totals were
reduced by one percent pursuant to a government-wide rescissions
included in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for
hurricane victims - H.R. 2863 - Defense Appropriations Act and The
Hurricane Education Recovery Act.  Combined with the lower than
anticipated FY06 funding levels approved, this act represents the
first time in ten years that Congress has reduced spending for
education.

The Defense bill also includes $1.6 billion for schools that were
affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  $645 million of this amount
is appropriated for public and private schools that enroll or have
enrolled displaced students; $750 million is appropriated for schools
that need to rebuild or make repairs due to the hurricanes; and $200
million is appropriated for higher education to assist displaced
students and the universities that allowed them to enroll.

The following is a brief summary of some of funding levels for
education programs included in H.R. 3010 for the U.S. Department of
Education:

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education:  Total funds are
$70,754,525,710, which is a decrease of $2 billion over FY05 levels
of $72,812,416,000.  This includes $57 billion in discretionary funds
and $13 billion in mandatory funds.

Education for the Disadvantaged:  Total funds are $14.481 billion,
which is a decrease of $360 million from FY05 levels.  $1,465,000
will be used to fund the comprehensive school reform clearinghouse
previously funded under the heading 'Innovation and Improvement' in
Title III of division F of Public Law 108-447.

School Improvement:  Total funds are $5.255 billion, which is a
decrease of $364 million from FY05 levels.  $411,680,000 will be used
for State assessments and related activities authorized under
sections 6111 and 6112 of the ESEA.
-21st Century Learning Centers:  Total funds are $981,166,230, which
is a decrease of $10 million over FY05 levels of $991,077,000.
-Javitts Gifted and talented Education:  Total funds are $9,596.070,
which is a $2 million decrease from FY05 levels of $11,022,000
-Rural Education $168,917,760, which is a $2 million decrease from
FY05 levels of $170,624,000.

Office of Innovation and Improvement:  Total funds are $936,487,530,
which is a $156 million decrease from FY05 levels of $1,092,642,000.
$100 million of the funds will be used for competitive grants to
develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal
compensation systems in high-need schools.  The performance-based
compensation systems must consider gains in student academic
achievement and classroom evaluations conducted multiple times during
each school year, and provide educators with incentives to take on
additional responsibilities and leadership roles.
-Recruiting and training high quality teachers and principals:  Total
funds are $330,877,800, which is an increase of $100 million over
FY05 levels.  The increase was the result of funds included for a
program called the Teacher Incentive Fund, which is funded at $99
million.
-School choice and flexibility:  Total funds are $384,364,530, which
is $4 million less than FY05 levels.
-Advanced Placement:  Total funds are $32,175,000, which is an
increase of $2.3 million over FY 05 levels of $29,760,000.
-Arts in education:  Total funds are $35,276,670, which is a decrease
of $400,000 over FY05 levels of $35,633,000.
-Parent Information and Resource Centers:  Total funds are
$39,600,000, which is a decrease of $2.2 million over FY05 levels of
$41,886,000.

Special Education:  Total Funds are $11,653,012,930, which is a $20
million decrease from FY05 levels of $11,673,606,000.

Vocational and Adult Education:  Total funds are $1,992,159,180,
which is a decrease of $40 million over FY05 levels of $2,032,773,000.

Higher Education: Total funds are $1,951,052,400, which is a decrease
of $164 million over FY05 levels of $2,116,699,000.

For a complete summary of FY06 appropriations please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&dbname=cp109&sid=cp109cQzYA&refer=&r_n=hr337.109&item=&sel=TOC_95313&

*The U. S. Senate voted on December 21, 2005 to extend to March 31,
2006 the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act - H.R. 609 and
S. 1614.  The U.S. House voted to extend the reauthorization on
December 14, 2005.  The Act was due to expire after a three month
extension voted in September 2005 expired.  The extension ensures
that student aid programs will continue until the House and Senate
work out the details of the two bills.  The HEA originally passed in
1965, and regulates higher education, including programs that provide
federal student aid, such as Pell Grants and Stafford Loans.

3) Education Trust Releases Annual Report on Education Funding:  The
Education Trust, Katy Haycock director, released on December 22, 2005
its annual report called "The Funding Gap in 2005:  Low Income and
Minority Students Shortchanged by Most States".  The report analyses
for each state, the amount of state and local resources available for
the highest and lowest poverty districts, and determines the average
resource gap between the highest and lowest poverty districts.

The 2002-2003 data used in this study shows that nationally lowest
poverty districts have available an average of $907 per student more
than highest poverty districts. "In 27 of 49 states studied, the
school districts serving the highest concentrations of poor students
spend less per pupil than the lowest-poverty districts. [New
paragraph] Even more states shortchange their highest minority
districts: In 30 states, high-minority districts receive less money
for each child than low-minority districts. Across the country, $614
less is spent on students in the districts educating the most
students of color as compared to the districts educating the fewest
students of color."

The Education Trust recommends that states increase spending in high
poverty districts by 40 percent to support programs to help the
students in these districts, who may enter school without the
preparation and support to succeed academically.  Using this formula
the number of states that underfund school districts serving large
numbers of poor children grows to 38, and the average gap increases
from $907 to $1,436 per student.

Ohio is one of a few states that has made some progress in closing
the resource gap between highest and lowest poverty districts
according to this report.  Ohio's highest poverty districts had
available an average $54 more per student than the lowest poverty
districts, and $683 more per student was available for Ohio districts
with high numbers of students from minority groups.

The full report is available at
http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Press+Room/Funding+Gap+2005.htm

4)  Judge Rules on Intelligent Design: U.S. District Judge John E.
Jones (U.S. District Court for Middle District of Pennsylvania) ruled
on December 20, 2005 that the Dover Area School District in
Pennsylvania violated the constitutional principle of separation of
church and state when it inserted "intelligent design", into its
science curriculum.  The Judge found that intelligent design is just
another version of creationism, which the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987
determined was a religious teaching, and cannot be taught in public
schools.  The Dover district is not expected to appeal the ruling.
The opinion is available at
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/051220_kitzmiller_342.pdf