This page provides information about the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 federal budget and appropriations process, including funding levels for programs that benefit middle and high schools.

Funding levels for programs benefiting middle and high schools

To review funding levels for education programs that benefit middle and high schools for FY 2009, and to view the funding levels as proposed by President Obama and the U.S. House of Representatives for FY 2010, please consult this chart.

A table showing the amounts provided for all the programs and activities of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for FY 2008 and FY 2009, as well as the president’s budget request for FY 2010 is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget10/summary/appendix4.pdf.

Obama’s Budget Makes Secondary Schools a Priority

Early in 2009, President Obama released a broad outline of his FY 2010 budget proposal for ED. The three-page document, released on February 26, 2009, offers a summary of the president’s educational priorities but contains relatively little in terms of actual dollar figures. On May 7, 2009, the president made it clear that significant reform around the nation’s middle and high schools would be a big issue in 2009 when he made public his detailed funding proposals, which included new investments in adolescent literacy, a high school graduation initiative, and a focus on turning around low-performing middle and high schools. Read more about the president’s FY 2010 budget proposal.
 

Additional information on President Obama’s budget proposal for ED is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget10/index.html.

Education Appropriations Bill Signed Into Law: U.S. Department of Education to Receive $1 Billion Increase in Funding (January 11, 2010): In mid-December, 2009, after months of delay, Congress finally passed the education appropriations bill as part of an omnibus bill that contained five other appropriations measures. For FY 2010, the bill provides $63.72 billion in discretionary funding for ED, an increase of approximately $1 billion. President Obama signed the bill on December 16, 2009.

Final Vote on Education Appropriations Bill Could Come Before Christmas (December 7, 2009): With only five of the twelve annual appropriations bills signed into law by President Obama and the debate on health care overhaul occupying much of the floor time in the U.S. Senate, congressional leaders are mulling options on how to finish work on the seven remaining appropriations bills before the stopgap continuing resolution expires December 18.

Senate Committee Passes Education Appropriations Bill (August 10, 2009): On July 30, the Senate appropriations committee approved an FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education appropriations bill that would provide $63.5 billion in discretionary funding for ED. That total represents an increase of $800 million compared to FY 2009, but it is slightly lower than the $64.2 billion that the House version of the Labor–HHS–Education appropriations would provide.

House Begins Work on FY 2010 Appropriations (July 13, 2009): On July 10, the House Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations subcommittee began work on an FY 2010 appropriations bill by the same name that funds ED. As reported out of the committee, the FY 2010 Labor–HHS–Education appropriations bill would provide $64.7 billion in discretionary funding for ED.

Duncan Outlines Obama’s Education Budget Before House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees (June 15, 2009): On June 3, in appearances before the Senate and House appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over funding for ED, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlined key aspects of President Obama’s FY 2010 budget request and discussed how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would serve the dual role of creating and preserving jobs while also promoting school reforms. However, Duncan also faced pointed questions from key Democrats on several of President Obama’s budget proposals, including one that would shift $1.5 billion in Title I funding into School Improvement Grants.