Last week, the Biden Administration announced the American Families Plan (AFP), a $1.8 trillion proposal (over 10 years) that focuses on investments in education and health care and supporting families through a variety of spending and tax changes. The biggest components of the package are $200 billion for a partnership with states to provide universal high-quality preschool (PreK) for all 3- and 4-year-old children and $109 billion for tuition-free community college.
The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) provided a one-pager (attached to this post) with a side-by-side comparison of the AFP and the American Jobs Plan (AJB) infrastructure package to highlight education-related provisions in each proposal intended to support children and families. Note the AFP and AJB proposals are in addition to the president's discretionary budget request to increase Department of Education (ED) funding by almost $30 billion along with other program increases (see this thread for more info on the budget request). See CEF's summary of the AFP proposal below.
The American Families Plan (AFP) proposal includes $731 billion in federal funding for a combination of existing and new education programs.
- 200 billion for universal pre-k for all 3- and 4-year-olds. Current federal early education funding for FY 2021 includes $10.7 billion for Head Start and $275 million for preschool development grants.
- $109 billion for two years of free community college for all. The AJP infrastructure plan includes another $12 billion for community college infrastructure in addition to this amount.
- $80+ billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by up to $1,400, a 21% increase over the current maximum award of $6,495. The President's FY 2022 budget includes a $400 increase in the maximum award. These are both steps towards the President's goal of doubling the maximum Pell grant.
- $62 billion for a new program to strengthen student retention at institutions of higher education that serve disadvantaged communities.
- $46 billion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCUs). That total includes $39 billion to provide 2 years tuition-free for students with family income below $125,000; $5 billion for institutional aid; and $2 billion for graduate programs for skilled health workers.
- $9 billion for teacher training to address teacher shortages and help provide a more diverse educator workforce. This includes $2.8 billion for "Grow Your Own" and teacher residency programs; $2 billion to train teachers for education leadership positions; $1.6 billion for teacher certification programs; $900 million to train special education teachers; and $400 million for teacher training at HBCUs, MSIs, and TCUs. FY 2021 funding for the main federal teacher program (Title II - Supporting effective instruction state grants) is $2.1 billion, which has been steadily cut from a peak of $2.9 billion in FY 2009 until it grew slightly the last two years. Current funding for Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants is $200 million, which is exactly half the annual funding it received at its peak in FY 2010.
- $225 billion for child care to cap costs for families earning less than 1.5 times their state's median income at no more than 7% of their income. The proposal would also help providers increase quality, and increase pay & benefits for the child care workforce. The American Jobs Plan also included funding for child care facilities.
- Expand school-based meal programs, including expanding the summer EBT program that helps families eligible for free and reduced-price school meals have access during the summer and allowing high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students.
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ASBO USA
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