07/22/2023

Michelle Skowbo

House Appropriations Subcommittee Threatens ELA Funding (Reprinted from the TESOL Advocacy Action Center)

 The Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Appropriations cycle is in full gear, with the U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHSE) Subcommittee on Appropriations meeting last week on the fate of federal funding for multilingual learners of English (MLEs) and the English language teaching (ELT) educators who serve them.

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The bill advanced by LHHSE last week, and which will now go to the full House Appropriations Committee, seeks to eviscerate educational and other funding as follows:

• Cuts of $14.7 billion (below the FY23 enacted budget) from Title I LEA Grants: 220,000 nationwide educator reduction
• Eliminates all funding for Title III English Language Acquisition (cut of $890 million)
• Eliminates all funding Title II-A State Grants for Effective Instruction (cut of $2.2 billion)
• Eliminates all funding for HEA Title II Teacher Quality Partnerships (cut of $70 million)
• Cuts of $35 million (30% reduction) from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights
• Cuts WIOA overall funding by 22.8% from the FY23 enacted budget with no desperately needed increases to Title II AEFLA State Grants
• Cuts of $414 million from the FY23 enacted budget for Transitional and Medical Services and Refugee Support Services
• Cuts of $3.3 billion from the FY23 enacted budget for the Unaccompanied Children program

You can read more about the cuts here and here, and the full bill is here.

The full committee is expected to meet next week - let your representative know that you stand in support of education, MLEs, and ELT, and that you oppose these cuts.

Take Action Today!  https://www.votervoice.net/TESOL/Campaigns/106747/Respond

Using the link above, you can quickly send a message to your US Representative that you support education and especially our English learners.

Congress will be on its August break soon, so take this opportunity to reach out to your Representative's local office and invite the Member to your program to meet you and your students and the people impacted by the decisions made in Washington, D.C.

Thank you in advance for your support and raising your voice in advocacy for learners, families, and our profession!


Jeff Hutcheson
Director, Advocacy & Public Policy
TESOL International Association