Congressional leaders reach deal on spending that includes boost to education dollars
Congress | Federal
Date Posted: 3/22/2018
Budget negotiators in Congress have reached an agreement on a deal to keep the lights on in Washington. The deal represents $1.3 trillion in total spending and a boost of $3.9 billion to spending on education. Congress now has until the end of Friday to pass the bill, preventing another government shutdown.
If Congress is able to pass the legislation in its current form (Republican and Democratic leaders are backing the final negotiation) and President Trump signs the legislation (he seemed to support the legislation Wednesday night after waffling throughout the day), many programs at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will see boosts to funding.
Boosts include funding for Title I and special education (IDEA), the two largest sources of funding at ED, as well as a program aimed at recruiting, supporting, and training educators. Other boosts to funding include programs pertaining to STEM education, technology enhancements, counseling and mental health, social and emotional learning, after school curricula, and rural schools. There is also new funding for school safety in the form of training and safety technologies like metal detectors.
Many of the funded programs are ones President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos cut under their budget request. For example, the president’s budget proposal suggested defunding the $2 billion program aimed at recruiting, supporting, and training educators primarily in high-needs schools. Aside from an increase to charter school funding, Congress also ignored the administration’s requests regarding public and private school choice. There is no funding for a $500 million investment in expanding existing state voucher programs or establishing new voucher programs, and the $1 billion in Title I funding Trump wanted to see invested in a system termed Title I portability (a refresher on that can be found here) is not included. Secretary DeVos faced a congressional committee just this week in an effort to advocate for a number of major reforms at ED, but those were largely overlooked by congressional leaders under the spending plan.
While the deal looks poised for passage, there are still several procedural measures that could prevent its passage ahead of the Friday midnight deadline. Check back for more on how the latest deal on federal funding plays out.
CONVERSATION
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
05/15/2026
Teach the Vote’s Week in Review: May 15, 2026
The House Public Education Committee discusses the state of public education. Plus: Early voting in the May runoff election begins Monday, May 18.
05/12/2026
House Public Education Committee holds first interim hearing of 2026
Lawmakers took up the House interim charge on the state of public education, as well as monitoring the newly enacted HB 1481, restricting cell phone use in schools.
05/11/2026
From The Texas Tribune: Teachers with national certification earn more, but Texas is questioning its worth
The National Board Certification is widely considered the most demanding for teachers. Texas leaders are examining whether it fits the state’s merit-based system.