Kinsley Palma

Dr. Sarah Young

American National Government

9 December 2023

Education Funding and Policy: Federal and State Impact

In order to provide society’s students with a quality and effective education, the

government must have a strong presence when it comes to carrying it out. Influence comes from

all areas of administration and decisions require input from a wide range of perspectives. Ever

since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, the American school system has faced multiple

criticisms, including, but not limited to, a decline in student performance, poor teacher retention,

low quality learning materials in high-risk areas, and a severe mental health crisis. Of course, no

progress can be made in the world of politics without some sort of financial assistance, which

requires much delegation.

One main role the Executive branch has played in education funding is directing funds

toward underserved schools. When coming into office, Joe Biden made providing these

underfunded institutions with assistance a priority of his administration. Since then, he has

directed around two billion dollars toward Title I, which is an 11% increase. This funding

ensures that low-income students receive the same quality of education as any other student, and

provides them with additional academic support. Another example is the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act. As our education systems grow and change, many have noticed the

need for more direct support for special needs students, making it a national topic of discussion

as a result. IDEA received a 10% increase, translating into an additional $1.3 billion for the

program. As far as educator retention, a pipeline was created deemed Registered

Apprenticeships, which allows future teachers to contribute towards their degree while earning a

salary in a classroom under an experienced mentor. The Biden administrations has partnered

with numerous states to create over 20 apprentice programs across the country. To battle the

rising reported feelings of depression and anxiety in school age children, the President signed the

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, directing $2 billion to schools for the purpose of staffing

mental health professionals (Department of Education). Personally, I think these actions are

notable. As a future educator, I value having high quality materials to ensure the best for my

students, and believe that mental health promotion is essential, seeing that it is impossible to

learn in a negative headspace. Additionally, providing alternative pathways to the classroom is

effective, as more would be drawn to the profession knowing that guidance would be given and

money that would otherwise be spent in a 4-year program would be saved.

Even though he possesses the power to sign orders into law, any document signed by the

President must be approved by Congress beforehand, and any executive goals require efforts

from the Legislative Branch as well. In July 2023, Representative Jared Huffman and Senator

Chris Van Hollen first proposed the IDEA Full Funding Act. The original IDEA was created in

1975, which promised to pay 40% of average costs per special education child. However, this

rate was never met, bringing Huffman and Van Hollen to demand a program that would

compound funding until the original goal was met. Huffman quoted, “We’ve been able to make

incremental increases in funding…. The chronic underfunding creates an unfair burden on

students, teachers, families, and schools…our bill holds up Congress’ end of the bargain to fully

fund special education services” (Huffman). I believe it shows great responsibility of Congress

to identify areas to improve for the benefit of our future leaders, as this shows the country that

the individuals, they elected are eager to make progress. As a result, special education programs
received $14.2 billion in grants, known as IDEA Part B, in addition to the 10% increase secured

by the Biden administration (Huffman).

While the Judicial Branch has the ability to deem any Executive and Legislative activity

unconstitutional if needed, it is rare that this occurs in any context having to do with education

policy. However, judges have recently taken the time to hear cases regarding the issue of

unconstitutional actions within the states, specifically the Espinoza v. Montana Department of

Revenue case. The case was filed in 2015 after a Montana family was denied use of a state

funded scholarship to attend a private Christian school by the state. The Department interpreted

the act as being a violation of Article 10 of the state constitution, which keeps the government

from providing religious education institutions with public funding. This was put into place by a

“Baby Blaine” amendment, created by representative James G. Blaine, who tried to keep such

schools from receiving funding after the Civil War (Jacobson). The case was taken to the

Supreme Court when Montana courts ruled in favor of the Department, the family feeling that

the decision went against Free Exercise, Establishment, and Equal Protection Clauses, which

give citizens the right to practice their chosen religion freely without government interference.

The Supreme Court found in favor of the family, deeming the State of Montana’s actions in

violation of the First Amendment. One judge quoted, “The exclusion of a group from a public

benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our

Constitution” (Kramer). This can serve as an example of the supremacy clause. Even though

Montana’s state ruling aligned with it’s respective founding document, it still did not align with

the U.S. Constitution, therefore the Supreme Court had the right to override the decision and

retain power in that case, in turn preserving fundamental freedoms.

 While the federal government does play several impactful roles in the education system, a

majority of policy happens within the states, seeing that each individual state creates their own

curriculum and standards. Each state’ executive branch’s Department of Education serves as the

“breeding ground” for these standards. The state legislatures determine what children should

know, using grade levels as a benchmark. Every year, data is collected from all schools, and is

then measured against said standards, ensuring that students graduate from school systems with

the skills necessary to thrive in the outside world (Institute of Education Sciences). State

legislatures also pass bills specific to the needs of its students as see fit. For example, South

Carolina added to its Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was

passed in 2015, limiting the federal government’s role in state education policy. The Plan would

allow all state testing for the 2019-2020 school year, the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, to be

suspended, seeing that students would not be able to perform to a high standard under

unfortunate circumstances (S.C. Department of Education).

State legislatures may also collaborate with the federal government for various reasons.

The Registered Apprenticeship program promotes educator recruitment and retention by

allowing participants to gain experience teaching under a qualified professional while also

receiving needed instruction and a salary. While the program was founded under the federal

government, the states are responsible for seeking employers willing to be a host to participants.

This aspect is overseen by the state, as the goal is to retain as many teachers exiting the program

for the state as possible (Florida Department of Education). I think this should be implemented

across all states. Society sees the burnout teachers face today, and question why one would spend

four years training just to serve in such a draining field. If more people see prospects receiving
quality support without having to suffer through debt, more would be attracted to the profession,

securing a bright future for our students.

The country’s schoolchildren will one day serve as our future leaders, so it is imperative

that both the federal and state government operate with their best interests in mind. Overall, I

believe that all branches have practiced accordingly on the matter. Necessary funding has been

sent to at risk districts and in need individuals as a result of proper communication and

partisanship between officials. Educational liberties are preserved due to supremacy clause

enforcement. Efforts are being made to ensure America’s students continue to be served by the

quality teachers they deserved, who are receiving the support needed to thrive in the field of

education.
 Works Cited

“Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Efforts to Support K-12 Education as

Students Go Back-to-School.” 2023. FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration
Highlights Efforts to Support K-12 Education as Students go Back-to-School | U.S.
Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-biden-harris-
administration-highlights-efforts-support-k-12-education-students-go-back-
school#:~:text=The%20President%20has%20secured%20a,necessary%20academic
%20opportunities%20and%20supports. (December 10, 2023).

“Huffman, Van Hollen Reintroduce Bicameral Bill to Fully Fund Special Education.” 2023. U.S.
Congressman Jared Huffman.
https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/huffman-van-hollen-reintroduce-
bicameral-bill-to-fully-fund-special-education (December 1, 2023).

Kramer, John, Andrew Wimer, and Institute for Justice. 2023. “Espinoza v. Montana
Department of Revenue.” Institute for Justice. https://ij.org/case/montana-school-choice/
(December 3, 2023).

Jacobson, Linda. 2020. “Despite Espinoza Decision’s ‘seismic Shock’ to Public Schools,
Context May Vary by State.” K. https://www.k12dive.com/news/despite-espinoza-
decisions-seismic-shock-to-public-schools-context-may/580834/ (December 3, 2023).

Deciphering state education standards - ies.ed.gov.

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/infographics/pdf/REL_SE_Deciphering_State_Education_Stand
ards.pdf (December 5, 2023).

“Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).” South Carolina Department of Education.

https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/every-student-succeeds-act-essa/ (December 11, 2023).

Solodev. “What Is Registered Apprenticeship?” Florida Department of Education Home.

https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/apprenticeship-programs/what-is-
apprenticeship.stml (December 11, 2023).