AACTE Issues Statement on Trump Budget Proposal for Education
AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson today issued the following statement regarding President Donald J. Trump’s proposed education budget for Fiscal Year 2018:
“We are deeply disappointed by the proposed elimination of the Teacher Quality Partnership grants and the Title II-A state grant program of the Every Student Succeeds Act in the president’s budget request. Together these funding streams support innovative and evidence-based solutions to state and local needs related to teacher quality, preparation, recruitment and retention, equitable distribution, and more. These investments encourage educator preparation providers to collaborate with PK-12 schools, communities, and states to strengthen and transform their programs, deepen school-university partnerships, and develop targeted approaches to meet state and local education priorities.
Although our field is making great strides in these efforts, it also is facing significant challenges, from staffing shortages to declining enrollment in preparation programs to the persistent diversity gap between educators and their students. At this time especially, federal funds should be directed to addressing these issues. Eliminating programs that support the preparation of effective educators will impede the progress we are making on behalf of the nation’s learners.
AACTE and its members are eager to work with Congress as it begins the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2018. We will advocate for the continued funding of these and other programs that support educator preparation, and in two weeks we will convene members, colleagues, and partners in Washington, DC, for our ‘Day on the Hill’ to engage with Congress and voice our support for these critical programs.”
Tags: advocacy, federal issues, funding
