Back in April I wrote about the efforts of local, state, and national organizations who were urging congressional leaders to retain funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21CCLC) program (ESSA Title IV, Part B) at no less than the current funding level ($1.167 billion). Trump’s budget proposal included elimination of the 21CCLC program and advocates for this program came out to support the program in force. Well, their efforts may be seeing some results.
Congress is currently working on the appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018, which runs from Oct. 1, 2017 until Sept. 30, 2018). The U.S. House of Representatives draft appropriations bill includes retention of approximately $1 billion for the 21CCLC program. While this isn’t what advocates would like to see because it includes a slight reduction in funding, it is a significant statement in support of this program. This is especially true when one considers that another major program slated for elimination by the Trump administration, Title II funding for teacher training, was eliminated in the draft House bill (a $2 billion reduction, see the EdWeek article here).
It is important to remember that it is early in the process and that the House will hold hearings on the bill before bringing it to a vote. The Senate also needs to go through a similar process before a FY 2018 budget bill can be passed. It is hoped that a bill can be passed and signed by Trump before the need for another continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running, and especially before a government shutdown if no bill or CR is passed.
TransACT is a strong supporter of after-school programs, including support for providers of these programs through Cayen System’s K-12 After School Program Management Software. If you have any questions or would like more information about Cayen System’s After School Management software, please contact us at 425.977.2100, Option 3 or email at support@transact.com.
