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ISTE Washington Notes
News of U.S. educational technology policy and legislation, posted as a service of ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education.
Copyright © 2007 ISTE
Guide to Acronyms used in Washington Notes
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March 2007 Contents
Congress Takes up FY08 Budget, Grills Secretary Spellings on EETT
This month, in word and in deed, House and Senate Democrats backed up their objections to the Administration's FY08 Budget proposal, which would eliminate all funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. At a series of hearings, Democrats lambasted US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings for the Administration's FY08 education budget proposal, calling attention specifically to the EETT funding elimination.
At a March 12 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health, Human Services and Education, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) questioned Secretary Spellings on zeroing out EETT. When Spellings responded that the "schools are already wired," Rep. Roybal-Allard shot back that wiring schools is "not what EETT is for. How are you taking care of old equipment, providing technology tools, and—most importantly—providing professional development?"
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) mentioned EETT, too, in the context of a series of questions about the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
On March 13 a Senate hearing on the Administration's FY08 Budget proposal again featured Secretary Spellings. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chair of the Senate's Subcommittee on Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations, listed EETT first in his recitation of problematic education cuts in the Administrations' budget proposal.
ISTE CEO Don Knezek expressed his thanks to all ISTE members who have contacted their members in Congress in support of EETT. "We believe this united voice has raised the profile for EETT at congressional hearings," he said. "It means the Administration can't simply recommend elimination of this key program without being held accountable."
Senate Adds Education Dollars in Its Budget Resolution
This verbal assault on the Administration's budget proposal set the stage for the release by Senate Democrats of their own FY08 Budget Resolution. A few days after the Appropriations hearings, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) rejected the President's cuts to education programs, instead proposing to increase discretionary education funding by $6.1 billion over the President's request.
According to Senator Conrad, his Budget Resolution represents the largest increase in federal education spending in five years. He explained his decision to raise funding levels for education in this way: "The Chairman's [budget] recognizes that strong education and training programs at all levels are critical for the future of our nation… The increased investments will …help grade schools, middle schools, and high schools close achievement gaps, increase graduation rates, and reduce the need for remedial education later; and ensure that all schools can attract, train, and retain high-quality teachers…"
Upcoming Appropriations Process Determines Final Numbers for FY08
While the passage of the Senate and the House of Senator Conrad's Budget Resolution could lead to more money for education technology in FY08, the Congressional Budget Resolution serves only as a blueprint for the appropriations process to come and does not have the force of law as the President does not actually enact it. Budget resolutions are traditionally big-picture documents that do not address funding levels for specific programs; that task is left to the appropriations committees.
Moreover, there are a number of hurdles that the Budget Resolution must overcome before being adopted. First, the Senate must pass it, which is no sure thing. Senate Republican leaders have already expressed concerns about Senator Conrad's use of $2 billion in advanced appropriations for education funding in 2009 and the possibility that his proposal's large funding increases could lead to increased taxes. Days after its introduction, the Senate Budget Committee approved Senator Conrad's Budget Resolution on a narrow party-line vote.
E-Rate Celebrates 10 Years
In late February, E-Rate supporters came together in Washington, DC to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the E-Rate's launch and to chart its mission for the future. At a well-attended gala sponsored by the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET), the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition (EdLiNC) and a number of high tech companies, the founders of the E-Rate, including Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), were honored. Additionally, four of the five sitting Federal Communications Commission Commissioners, including FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, attended the event and spoke in support of the E-Rate's accomplishments and its continuing mission.
"ISTE members have every right to be proud and pleased as we celebrate the success of E-Rate," said ISTE CEO Don Knezek. "ISTE members played key roles from the beginning—articulating the vision for E-Rate, helping to create the coalitions, and advocating on the Hill. And we've worked hard over the past decade to protect and strengthen this landmark legislation."
New Report Documents E-Rate Successes, Legislators Praise Program
The morning after their gala celebration, E-Rate supporters reconvened on Capitol Hill to publicly release a report commissioned by NCTET and EdLiNC. "E-Rate: 10 Years of Connecting Kids and Community," profiles how ten communities have benefited from the E-Rate program. The ten communities profiled are:
Alaska: Anchorage School District
California: San Bernardino Unified School District
Hawaii: Ho'okena Elementary School
Kentucky: Fayette County Public Schools
Maine: Maine School & Library Network
Massachusetts: Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools and Cathedral High School
Michigan: Woodland Library Cooperative
Nevada: Clark County School District
Texas: SUPERnet Consortium
West Virginia: Roane County School District
A pdf version of the report can be found at: http://www.edlinc.org.
Some of the most moving testimonials to the E-Rate came from key lawmakers themselves. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), an original founder of the program, stated at the report release event that he considered the E-Rate "one of the top one or two things I've done in my life, in terms of public policy."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) provided a letter for the event that described himself as "a longtime supporter of E-Rate" and said: "It serves an increasingly important role in improving academic achievement and preparing our young people to compete in the 21st Century."
"Much Work Still to Do..."
"As the report demonstrates, E-Rate has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing how students learn, educators teach, and communities engage with the global economy," said ISTE CEO Don Knezek.
"Pleased as we are at E-Rate's decade of success, we submit that E-Rate still has much work still to do in maintaining existing services and paving the way for our schools and libraries to adopt new and even more exciting online educational applications and services."
E-Rate Summit Focuses on Future
An E-Rate Summit followed the report's release. Key Hill staffers, including representatives from the offices of Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Inouye (D-HI), Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Stevens (R-AK), Senator Rockefeller, Senator Snowe, Majority Leader Reid (D-NV), House Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell (D-MI), House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Markey, and Rep. Cubin (R-WY), discussed the future of the program. FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Tom Navin and NEA Executive Director John Wilson also participated.
Many of the Capitol Hill panelists, as well as Senator Rockefeller, described passage of legislation to permanently exempt the E-Rate from the Anti Deficiency Act -- the application of which to the program in 2004 caused a three-month shut down -- as a top legislative priority. Both Capitol Hill staffers and FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Navin agreed that E-Rate's performance should be measured based on telecommunications or connectivity milestones, not on academic achievement. Hill panelists also agreed that any effort to raise the E-Rate's funding cap would have to await the conclusion of efforts to create and implement a new funding mechanism for overall universal service, which would stabilize E-Rate's funding stream.
Update on Demand for E-Rate Program Year 2007
The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) released its demand estimate for Program Year 2007 in early March. It showed an uptick in the amounts requested for the program this year, with applicants seeking $140 million more for this coming funding year over last year. Overall, applicants sought a total of $3.69 billion in Program Year 2007 support, including $1.79 billion for telecommunications and Internet access services support and $1.9 billion for internal connections.
Meanwhile, at a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Inouye (D-HI) indicated that his Committee would begin working on legislation to overhaul the universal service program. Committee Vice Chair Ted Stevens has already introduced legislation focused on universal service, which contains several favorable E-Rate provisions, including a permanent exemption for E-Rate from the Anti-Deficiency Act, the empowerment of the FCC to establish a sanctions system for applicants and service providers who knowingly and repeatedly violate program rules, and the establishment of new performance measures for the program.
SETDA Releases New National Trends Report
In its continuing effort to measure how Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT) funds are used, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) released its fourth National Trends Report. The report, which is based on surveys submitted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia, found that EETT supports No Child Left Behind goals in four distinct ways:
- Closing the achievement gap by providing access to software, online resources, and virtual learning aligned to academic standards for instruction and learning.
- Closing the digital divide by providing increased levels of access and robust connectivity for students in low socioeconomic status (SES) schools.
- Supporting the development of highly qualified teachers by providing online courses, communities of practice, and virtual communication that ensure flexibility and access.
- Enhancing data systems to ensure that educators can utilize real-time data to inform sound instructional decisions and ensure that states meet AYP.
Additionally, the report indicates that in 17 states (CA, DE, IL, KS, MD, MN, MS, MO, NH, NJ, OK, ND, OR, UT, VT, WA, and WI) EETT is the sole source of education technology funding, and in the majority of states it is the primary source.
The full report can be found at: http://www.setda.org.
—ISTE's Washington Notes is prepared by the Bernstein Strategy Group in Washington DC.
Join the Ed Tech Action Network
If educational technology issues are important to you, then please join the ISTE and CoSN Ed Tech Action Network at http://www.EdTechActionNetwork.org. This online advocacy tool will allow you to easily send important messages to your Representative and Senators, learn more about timely education technology issues, and receive tips for communicating with elected officials. Your voice is critical for impacting the decisions of policy-makers.
From the Washington, D.C.
Office of Bernstein Strategy Group
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The following message is posted as a service of ISTE,
the International Society for Technology in Education.
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Copyright © 2007 ISTE
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