Education Funding Bill Signed into Law, One Third of the Way Through the Fiscal Year
On Tuesday, the education spending bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 was signed into law, locking education funding largely at current levels. The bill, a product of intense bipartisan negotiations, rejects the Administration's and House Appropriators' proposed steep reductions and consolidations. Earlier this year, the President's budget proposed eliminating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part D and preschool programs, channeling that money into other parts of IDEA. Intense advocacy from CEC members and pattern organizations urged Congress to maintain those programs, which it did. Also funded are the Javits Gifted and Talented program and the National Center for Special Education Research, which faced a proposed elimination in the President's budget.
Language in the bill and accompanying report clarifies that education funding cannot be transferred to agencies outside of the Department of Education (ED), that ED staffing levels must be sufficient to fulfill duties outlined in education laws, and that funds must be distributed in a timely manner.
Furthermore, Congress expressed "concerns" over ED's agreements to move key programs to other agencies, including that receiving agencies lack the experience, expertise, and capacity to manage programs effectively and lack the relationships with States, grantees, and other stakeholders; that moving programs away from ED leads to fragmentation of programs that will cause delay in the distribution of funds; and that dismantling ED will weaken federal support for schools and students. While the bill does not explicitly prohibit the transferring of programs to other agencies, it requires ED to brief Congress every two weeks on the topic.