News Release

Statement by National Education Association (NEA) President Reg Weaver on President's Fiscal Year '05 Budget

"On behalf of our 2.7 million members, NEA is profoundly disappointed that President Bush has proposed the smallest increase for education in nine years.  This comes at a time when schools and states are being hammered by budget cutbacks and rising demands, despite the fact that the public is increasingly supportive of a greater federal investment in education.

"The Bush administration and Congress promised that our nation’s public schools would receive the resources needed to reach the lofty goals of the so-called 'No Child Left Behind' Act for all children.  Instead, we see an election-year budget filled with continued broken promises and gimmicks.

"After proposing cuts for the last two years, the President is now asking for a virtual freeze in 'No Child Left Behind' funding.  The paltry 1.8 percent increase he is proposing in no way meets the federal government's obligation to fund the new law and, in fact, falls short of promised levels of funding by more than $9 billion for the coming year.

"While the Administration claims to have provided record-setting amounts for education, it is telling only half the story.  As many policymakers and the public are realizing, 'No Child Left Behind' forces cash-strapped schools to spend huge sums of money that more than eat up any increase provided by the federal government.

"The Administration’s budget priorities reveal a double standard, shifting money away from vital education programs while supporting an ideological agenda.  The budget eliminates funds for 38 programs, including dropout prevention and gifted and talented education, and once again fails to increase Pell Grants for our nation’s poorest college students.  Yet, incredibly, the President wants $50 million for a national experiment with school vouchers, which take away much needed resources from public schools, and trillions more in tax cuts for the wealthy.

"Ensuring great public schools for our nation’s schoolchildren requires more of a commitment from the federal government to pay for small class sizes, well-trained teachers, early childhood education, and safe and modern classrooms.  NEA calls on Congress to put politics aside and refocus the nation’s priorities on strengthening public education, reducing the growing national deficit and addressing other critical needs."

NEA will have available a detailed analysis of education and other provisions in the Bush FY05 budget later this week.  For more information, contact Daniel Kaufman at (202) 822-7268.

Feb. 2, 2004

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.