NJPSA appreciates the federal advocacy of our national associations, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) in these challenging times in our nation’s capital. This week, our national organizations joined a group advocacy effort urging Education Secretary Linda McMahon to quickly allocate billions of dollars that states and local school districts expect to spend during the coming academic term — and expressing concern the Trump administration might cut back funds Congress appropriated for the 2025 fiscal year under last month’s spending deal.
“Any reductions or changes to allocations at this time will have a devastating impact on students, educators and communities across the country,” advocacy and policy organizations said Tuesday in a letter to McMahon that urged the department to preserve $2.19 billion of Title II funds for teacher and school leader training and recruitment.
“District leadership will be forced to make impossible decisions of where to make budget cuts, potentially even laying off staff, if Title II funding is not allocated in an identical manner to FY24,” said the letter signed by dozens of groups including NAESP, NASSP, AFT and NEA. The government funding bill Congress approved last month required the Education Department and other agencies to submit FY25 spending, expenditure, or operating plans to lawmakers by April 29.
Some organizations are worried, however, that the lack of guidance attached to last month’s legislation may encourage the department to use its discretion and not allocate full funding amounts to state governments and local school districts.
“The Department is currently finalizing its fiscal year 2025 spending plan, which it will submit to Congress by the April 29 deadline,” Education Department spokesperson Ellen Keast said in a statement to POLITICO. “The plan will reflect the Department’s continued commitment to improving students’ academic achievement while using taxpayer resources responsibly and efficiently.”
(This article is, in part, courtesy of Politico)