Educators for Excellence Reacts to Unprecedented Education Increases in President’s Proposed Budget

April 9 (New York) — Educators for Excellence, a teacher-led organization, reacted to President Biden’s proposed 2022 budget, which includes a 41% increase in the U.S. Department of Education’s budget, and sizable increases in funding directed toward students living in poverty ($20 billion increase to Title I) and students with disabilities ($2.6 billion increase to IDEA), who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Among other education priorities, the bill also includes a historic investment of $1 billion to help schools hire nurses and mental health staff.
 
“The pandemic has been incredibly disruptive to all students, but above all we know that it has deepened already-existing inequities in our school system. This school year, only 40% of teachers nationally reported that we’re often meeting the needs of students from low-income households, and even fewer said this was the case for students with disabilities,” said Evan Stone, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Educators for Excellence. “As students head back to classrooms, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only address unfinished learning, but to transform our education system to meet the needs of all students. Now is the time to invest in what we should have all along: providing low-income students, students with disabilities and other historically marginalized students with the resources they need to learn and thrive.” 

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