Private Education Center

President Obama kicked off what the White House is calling “education month” today at Miami Central Senior High School, a persistently low-performing school that received a School Improvement Grant from the feds.

He used a 30-minute speech to talk about the same old things we’ve been hearing from him for awhile now—the importance of school turnarounds, the success of Race to the Top, and the need to not cut federal spending in education.

But more important than his speech might be who he came with: ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican and education uber-advocate, who sat on stage during the speech alongside EdSec Arne Duncan. O

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So if you’ve picked up a newspaper in the past week or so, you know that the federal budget is in major flux, with the prospect of a government shutdown.

Should education programs be worried?

While a possible shutdown is probably not going to be a picnic for anyone, if the past is any guide, most school districts and states wouldn’t feel an immediate pinch.

Why? Well, many formula programs in the department, including the all-important Title I grants to districts and special education, are “forward-funded.” That means the money for this fiscal year that Congress is currently squabbling over—fiscal year 2011—isn’t slated to make its way to districts until July of this year. Tha

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The U.S. Department of Education’s current-year budget would be slashed by more than $5 billion under a bill approved early this morning by the U.S. House of Representatives on an almost strictly party line vote of 235-189.

That sets up a showdown as the legislation heads to the Democratically controlled Senate, where lawmakers are expected to reject the cuts. President Barack Obama has also threatened to veto the bill should it reach his desk with such deep cuts. The Education Department and other agencies are operating under a temporary funding resolution that expires March 4, and advocates already are bracing for the prospect of a government shutdown.

The House approved an amendment that would restore a cut to special education funding of $557.7 million, while instead slashing School Improvement Grants by $336.6 million and Teacher Quality State Grants by $500 million.

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CDE wants more kids to eat breakfast

School districts will get some food for thought from the Colorado Department of Education, which is launching the School Breakfast Challenge to get more kids eating breakfast in the school programs.Colorado schools serve breakfast to about 101,000 children. All schools are automatically enrolled in the competition. Schools that increase participation will be eligible for cash prizes up to $5,000.Studies show that students who eat breakfast score better on standardized tests, have higher academic achievement, have fewer health problems and behave better in class.Districts participating in the national School Lunch Program receive federal reimbursement for school meals.

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