"Draconian" Cuts To Hit Federal Education Programs

Education Week (12/2, Klein) reports, "Education advocates and local school officials are nervously eyeing a series of draconian cuts set to hit just about every federal program in 2013-including Title I, special education, and other key K-12 priorities-in the wake of a special congressional committee's failure to come up with long-term recommendations for how to cut the federal deficit." The Department of Education "could see an across-the-board cut of 7.8 percent," meaning a $3.5 billion dip from the fiscal 2011 discretionary budget. The National Education Association estimates this "would result in the loss of more than 24,000 jobs in elementary and secondary education." Mary Kusler, the manager of federal advocacy for the union, said the "dramatic cuts...will be felt by every student and every school district." Secretary of Education Arne Duncan warned that reducing the US debt needs to be done "in a thoughtful and deliberate way that protects national priorities like education at such a critical time."