September 2004

Although public education is primarily a State and local responsibility, federal funds are an important revenue source for many school districts. Nationwide, federal funds amount to 7.9% of school district revenues according to the National Center of Education Statistics. In New York State, federal funds represent 6.3% of school district revenues.

While there are more than 40 separate federal programs, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is one of the most notable federal education laws. ESEA was first enacted in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. ESEA funds are targeted to support programs for disadvantaged students. The latest reauthorization of ESEA was the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which was signed into law on January 8, 2002.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that $54 billion will be spent across the nation in 2004-05 for all of the pre-kindergarten through higher education programs supported by federal funds. Of this total, just over $23 billion will be spent in support of NCLB. Since its adoption, an additional $8.7 billion has been made available to support NCLB. More than 66% of this increase came in 2001-02, the first year of NCLB.

For New York State, 2004-05 federal funding for all supported programs is estimated to be about
$4.3 billion, with just over $2 billion appropriated for NCLB. At this level, the overall increase for NCLB since its adoption will be $836 million. Most of this increase ($409 million) came in 2001-02.

Annual increases since that first year have been much less than expected and authorized when NCLB was adopted. According to a recent analysis from Senator Charles Schumer, the 2004-05 federal budget shortchanges New York's schools by nearly $700 million.

The complete PDF of this bulletin contains detailed information on federal funds for both New York State and for the nation. The full range of federal programs (Pre-K through higher education) have been included, and were organized to show the various program elements included under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The information covers the five-year period 2000-01 through 2004-05. Since 2001-02 was the first funding year for NCLB, including 2000-01 provides a base for comparison.

NYSUT continues to work with AFT in Washington to increase federal funding for education and to ensure that New York State receives its fair share of federal funds.

DOWNLOAD: COMPLETE BULLETIN
The complete bulletin includes a comparative chart of funds for state formula-allocated and selected student aid programs. [700K PDF]

NYSUT's Division of Research and Educational Services serves as the research arm of NYSUT, providing information and assistance to Field Services, to other NYSUT divisions, and to local leaders. In addition, the Division provides a variety of information and workshops to local leaders and to local member organizations.

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