On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released the draft fiscal year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee on June 23rd. The legislation funds agencies and programs in the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education.

According to a press release, for 2023, the bill provides $242.1 billion, an increase of $28.5 billion – 13 percent – above 2022. With this historic increase, the legislation:

• Creates and sustains good-paying American jobs through investments in job training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection
• Grows opportunity with major investments in education, including significant funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education
• Bolsters our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity
• Strengthens lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, as well as increased funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
• Supports middle class and working families with increased funding for child care, Head Start, and preschool development grants
• Advances equal treatment for women by increasing funding for the range of health services, including family planning, covered by Title X and repealing the discriminatory Hyde Amendment
• Addresses our nation’s most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence, and substance misuse, while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities

The text of the draft bill can be viewed by clicking here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

U.S. Department of Education (USDE) – According to a summary of the bill, it provides a total of $86.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for USDE, an increase of $10.3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. Of this amount, the bill includes:

• K-12 Education, including Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs—The bill provides $50.9 billion, an increase of $8.3 billion over the fiscal year 2022 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill provides:
  • $20.5 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, an increase of $3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • $17.8 billion for Special Education, an increase of $3.2 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. The amount includes:
    • $16.3 billion for Part B Grants to States, an increase of $2.9 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level, and
    • $35 million for Special Olympics education programs, an increase of $4 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • $1 billion for English Language Acquisition, an increase of $169 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • $2.3 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), an increase of $100 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • $1.4 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants, an increase of $75 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • $1.4 billion for Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, an increase of $120 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • Continued support for a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiative to support SEL and “whole child” approaches to education. Within this amount, the bill provides:
    • $132 million, an increase of $50 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for grants for evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that address student social, emotional, and cognitive needs within the Education Innovation and Research program;
    • $90 million, an increase of $5 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program with a priority for teacher professional development and pathways into teaching that provide a strong foundation in child development and learning, including skills for implementing SEL strategies;
    • $1 billion within School Safety National Activities for Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants to help LEAs directly increase the number of mental health and child development experts in schools; and
    • $468 million, an increase of $393 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for Full-Service Community Schools to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities.
• Career, Technical and Adult Education—The bill provides $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $124 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This amount includes:
  • $1.4 billion for CTE State Grants, an increase of $45 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, and
    • $132 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships, an increase of $73 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.

A press release with a summary of the draft fiscal year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill can be viewed by clicking here.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office  (GAO) report examines the pandemic‘s effect on academic progress in the 2020-21 school year. In the GAO survey, many K-12 public school teachers reported that more of their students started the year behind and made less progress than in a typical year.
In fact, the GAO found that, compared to a typical school year, teachers reported that more of their students started the 2020-21 school year behind and made less academic progress, according to GAO’s generalizable survey of K-12 public school teachers. Teachers also reported that many students ended the year behind grade level expectations (see figure). Educators and parents also shared their insights and experiences about student struggles and learning loss during the year.

To read the GAO report, click here.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) newsroom release, on June 18, 2022 CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that all children 6 months through 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination. 

Parents and caregivers can now get their children 6 months through 5 years of age vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to better protect them from COVID-19. According to the CDC, all children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.

The CDC also reports that COVID-19 vaccines have undergone—and will continue to undergo—the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Parents and caregivers can play an active role in monitoring the safety of these vaccines by signing their children up for v-safe – personalized and confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys where they can easily share with CDC how a child feels after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Distribution of pediatric vaccinations for these younger children has started across the country, and will be available at thousands of pediatric practices, pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, clinics, and other locations the week of June 19th. Children in this younger age group can be vaccinated with whichever vaccine is available (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech). Parents can reach out to their doctor, nurse, local pharmacy, or health department, or visit vaccines.gov to see where vaccines for children are available.     

The following is attributable to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky:    
“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can. I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated.”    

To view the CDC press release, click here.

On June 14, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) launched the National Parents and Families Engagement Council (Council) to facilitate strong and effective relationships between schools and parents, families and caregivers. Families’ voices play a critical role in how the nation’s children are recovering from the pandemic.

“Parents are a child’s first teachers, and there’s no one better equipped to work with schools and educators to identify what students need to recover,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The National Parents and Families Engagement Council will serve as an important link between families and caregivers, education advocates and their school communities. The Council will help foster a collaborative environment where we can work together to serve the best interest of students and ensure they have the academic and mental health support they need to recover from the pandemic and thrive in the future.”

The Council consists of parent, family, or caregiver representatives from national organizations that will work with the USDE to identify constructive ways to help families engage at the local level. Organization representatives will reflect the diversity of the education system, including, but not limited to, families of students in public schools, charters, private schools, and homeschool. The Council will be a channel for parents and families to constructively participate in their children’s education by helping them understand the rights they have, create a feedback loop with schools to shape how American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds are deployed to meet students’ needs, and identify summer learning and enrichment opportunities for children in their communities.

“Parents provide critical perspective, and they should always have a seat at the table whenever decisions are made that impact their children. And this is more important than ever in the effort to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anna King, president of National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). “National PTA applauds the Department of Education for launching the National Parents and Families Engagement Council and providing a channel for parents’ voices to be heard and considered. This is essential to help make sure the needs of students are met coming out of the pandemic and ensure every child has everything they need to make their potential a reality.”

“NAFSCE congratulates the Department of Education for establishing a National Parents and Families Engagement Council,” said Vito Borrello, executive director of the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). “This Council provides the opportunity to bring diverse parent voices together to inform the USDE’s policies and programs, while also serving as a dissemination vehicle for engaging families across the country in equitable education policy.”
At launch, Council members include:

• The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
• Fathers Incorporated
• Generations United
• Girls Inc.
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Mocha Moms
• National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)
• National Action Network
• National Military Family Association (NMFA)
• National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
• National Parents Union (NPU)
• The National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment (PLACE)
• United Parent Leaders Action Network (UPLAN)
• UnidosUS

In the coming weeks, the Council will meet to discuss how their children are recovering; the different ways schools are providing academic, mental health and social and emotional support; and how they can best constructively engage with schools. In the coming months, the USDE and the Council will hold local listening sessions with parents, families, principals, educators, and school community members to better understand the needs of students as they start the 2022-23 school year.