You may have heard the rumors about a potential government shutdown if no agreement on the FY 2017 budget was reached. The original budget deadline was April 28th, but congress pass a one-week extension, which allowed them to finalize a budget deal for the rest of FY 2017. This is good news as it means there will be no government shutdown.
This agreement isn’t without surprises though. In an era when Trump is proposing cuts, Congress actually provided an increase for some education programs. Not surprising is that there is a slight increase for Title I and special education programs. Most surprising, however, is that one of those programs that will see a FY 2017 funding increase is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC).
Why is this a surprise? Because this goes against Trump’s FY 2018 budget proposal, which included eliminating all funding for 21CCLC programs. It looks like Congress is sending the President a fairly strong message about this program. Actually increasing funding for a program Trump’s proposed budget slated for elimination could be Congress’ way of sending the message that it disagrees with the President on this issue and has no intention of cutting the program.
This is good news for after-school programs and follows on the heels of some advocacy efforts. Early in April, more than 1,450 local, state, and national organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to fund the 21CCLC program (ESSA Title IV, Part B) at no less than the current funding level ($1.167 billion). The increase in funding for FY 2017 now raises the current funding level for 21CCLC programs to nearly $1.2 billion.
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 sales@transact.com.
