AASA Issues Statement in Reaction to President Biden’s Budget Proposal
April 09, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
James Minichello
703-875-0723
703-774-6953 (cell)
jminichello@aasa.org
Alexandria, Va. – April 9, 2021 – Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, issued the following statement today in response to President Biden’s budget proposal for FY2022.
“This budget proposal is the first one in more than a decade not subject to federal spending caps. That, in combination with an administration committed to investing in education and supporting state and local education leaders in their ongoing effort to fully implement and invest the federal emergency supplemental funding from CARES I, CARES II and the American Rescue Plan, represent a strong path forward in the work to safely get and keep schools open while addressing learning recovery, mental health, and the myriad of other supports and services our nation’s K-12 schools have come to provide.
“We applaud President Biden for his strong support for education, and his explicit investment in the federal formula programs that are critical for supporting our nation’s neediest students, including a $20 billion increase to Title I and a $2.6 billion increase for IDEA.
“When he was on the campaign trail as the vice presidential candidate in 2008, now President Biden said, ‘Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.’ In today’s announcement, President Biden has made clear his priority support for education investment; supporting schools in their work to be open; equity; and the hard work of ensuring all students have access to a high-quality public education.
“Today’s announcement is in strong complement to his infrastructure proposal from last week. We are not at all surprised to see dedicated funding specific to supporting, renovating, repairing, and building public schools. Public schools are the backbone of this nation, of our economy, of our future. Public schools aren’t a piece of infrastructure; public schools are infrastructure, and we commend President Biden for investing in these schools, the students they serve, and the futures they support in both this budget and the infrastructure package.”
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For specific questions, please contact Noelle Ellerson Ng, AASA associate executive director, advocacy and governance, at nellerson@aasa.org.
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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.
