================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 12 ISSN 1069-7799 February 4, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (120 lines) LEVEL FUNDING PROPOSED FOR LIBRARY PROGRAMS IN FY99 BUDGET; ESEA TITLE VI ZEROED OUT AGAIN _________________________________________________________________ LEVEL FUNDING PROPOSED FOR LIBRARY PROGRAMS IN FY99 BUDGET; ESEA TITLE VI ZEROED OUT AGAIN The Administration's FY99 budget proposal was released February 2. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, in a released statement, cited the budget as representing "a greater increase in the federal investment in improving elementary and secondary education than any budget in the last 30 years." Riley added, "If Congress approves this budget, it would reduce class size, modernize schools, improve teacher quality, target new assistance to poor urban and rural schools, help bring technology into the classroom, and give all Americans the financial support and information they need to go to college." The education budget outlines a $1.1 billion initiative to reduce class size and funds to recruit and train 100,000 new teachers over the next seven years. It proposes tax-credits that would pay all interest costs on more than $20 billion in school construction bonds to be issued in 1999 and 2000. For higher education, the budget proposal would include $7.6 billion for Pell grants, an increase of $249 million that would raise the maximum Pell award from $3,000 to $3,100. Also included is a $70 million increase for College Work-Study, which includes additional work-study tutors for the America Reads initiative. Library programs, for which funding is passed through the Department of Education to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is proposed at $146 million, about the same level as FY98. ESEA TITLE VI The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VI--Innovative Education Program Strategies State Grants, would be zeroed out for the second consecutive year. The FY99 budget states, "It does not have clear, measurable goals and is not designed in law to produce specific results in terms of student achievement gains. Evaluations of the program show that school districts generally use the funds for routine activities that do not improve teaching and learning." This title provides funding for school library materials as one of the uses of the block grant. According to information previously received from the Department of Education, as much as 40 percent of the grant goes for school library and instructional materials. As a result of strong "grass roots" action and House leadership, ESEA VI received $350 million in appropriations for FY98. TECHNOLOGY The FY99 budget would provide $475 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, an increase of $50 million to help more schools buy hardware, train teachers to use technology and develop and buy software. The $106 million request for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants would support, "24 new awards to develop or adapt cutting-edge technology for classrooms." The Department of Education would develop a new $75 million Teacher Training in Technology initiative which would include schools of education and other partnerships to train new teachers in uses of technology. 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS The Department of Education also announced a proposed major expansion of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, with funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation. Last year's funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program was set at $40 million. This year's proposal would request $200 million for the program. The Mott Foundation funds will allow regional conferences to "help communities nationwide learn about quality after-school care and take advantage of new federal funds for before-and after-school programs." AMERICA READS In addition to the funds for tutors included in the College Work-Study program, the Administration's budget would include $250 million for America Reads, "which supports local programs that provide tutoring and help improve reading instruction in our schools..." Currently before Congress is the Reading Excellence Act, H.R. 2614, which has passed the House and remains to be acted upon in the Senate. Also outstanding is an approved appropriation of $210 million to be used for a children's literacy initiative if legislation is approved before July 1. OTHER NEW PROGRAMS There are a number of new programs proposed, four of which will need new legislation. Funding for these new programs would be provided through the as yet unfinished tobacco settlement. Further details and the FY99 proposed budget funding table will be provided in a pending ALAWON. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================