Show Me the Money!

Sorry, I just wanted to start a serious topic by getting everyone thinking about Cuba Gooding, Jr.

There are so many excellent applications of technology in education, finding the funding to support technology initiatives is always on the minds of district technology directors. Usually, this involves hours spent "burning the midnight oil" grantwriting, so when potentially good news comes out of Washington regarding Federal funding it is like a birthday present.

The March 2008 issue of the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) newsletter (Vol. 10, No. 3) provides the good news that both the House and Senate have adopted versions of the 2009 Congressional Budget Resolution that reject President Bush's proposed reduction in funding for the U.S. Department of Education. The Senate's version of the Resolution would provide an additional $5.4 billion dollars than the President's proposal (representing an 8% increase over the the actual FY08 funding level); the House's FY09 budget resolution would provide an additional $7.1 billion dollars.

As noted by CoSN, it is important to remember that these are "big picture documents" that neither directly fund specific programs nor carry the weight of law because they are not enacted by the President, and in cases of conflict there is always the possibility of a showdown between the President and Congress over appropriations. However, it does indicate a broad-based support of increased, not decreased, education and training funding.

As our district treasurer so correctly observes, you can never be absolutely certain of anything when it comes to funding. As always, this process will be interesting as it unfolds. Stay tuned.