There’s a big budget showdown brewing in Washington, but school districts have at least some funding information to go on now, at least for the next six months, thanks to a rare bipartisan bill that passed the House of Representatives last week and is expected to gain approval in the Senate.
Last week, with very little fanfare or drama, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to extend funding for almost every federal agency until March 27, 2013, well after the presidential election. There’s actually a very small increase for the Education Department, about $417 million, according to the Committee for Education Funding, a nonprofit organization in Washington. Most programs will be funded at current levels. Of course, if “sequestration” kicks in the money could be cut by about 8 percent, but most school districts wouldn’t feel the squeeze until next summer. More on that very complicated issue here here.
via Stopgap Spending Measure Deals With Highly Qualified Teacher Issue.