Good stuff in this edition. President’s budget FY18 budget proposal is now scheduled to drop May 23rd. However, the second bullet in the “What we’re hearing” section is really important! As Sheryl notes, we are unlikely to get much clarity on what Congress is proposing for FY18 for a long time — possibly not until the fall — and we may be looking at another continuing resolution when we get to the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1. Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sheryl Cohen <cohen@cef.org> > Subject: CEF Update: 05.17.17 - News of the day, advocacy events & briefings on Thursday, Impact Aid letter, Pell grant bill, budget tables, RSVP to Friday's CEF meeting > Date: May 17, 2017 at 10:43:17 AM EDT > To: CEFMembersList <CEFMembersList@americancontinentalgroup.onmicrosoft.com> > > > Wednesday, May 17, 2017 > > Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram (both “@edfunding”) to spread our advocacy to a broader social media audience! > > > Dear CEF Members: > > I. What we’re hearing > > · Here’s a quick rundown of the education budget-related tidbits and news we’ve heard recently. > o President’s full budget to be released Tuesday, May 23 – not May 22, as previously expected. The House Budget Committee has scheduled a hearing with OMB Director Mulvaney for Wednesday, so this release date looks like it will hold. > o FY 2018 funding looks likely to be another continuing resolution this fall – Senate Republicans want to preserve their ability to use the fast-track reconciliation procedure provided by the fiscal year 2017 budget resolution to pass a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But that procedure expires once a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution conference agreement is adopted, so we’re hearing that Senate Republicans may hold off on starting on their budget resolution until after addressing a health care bill; that probably means waiting until the fall. Meanwhile, without a budget resolution specifying a top line for defense and non-defense discretionary (NDD) funding levels, the appropriations process will – at best – limp along. The House Budget Committee had originally planned to mark up its budget this week, but has postponed that until after Memorial Day (at least). Ultimately, we may not have much clarity on 2018 funding levels for a long time, and may be looking at another continuing resolution that keeps current funding going when we get to the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1. > > II. Advocacy > · “Digital Day of Advocacy” on education funding on Thursday – The “Education Big Table”– an informal group of education and civil rights organizations that came together earlier this year and is focusing on various topics – is organizing a digital and call-in day of action on Thursday, May 18, to protect funding for public education. This effort is being coordinated by the Center for American Progress and the National Education Association, which has created a toolkit <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VUSk-kuDpyew95iDOxks7ciScTp3uSIsXCpKnfsPRHI/edit> with sample scripts for calls and emails as well as content, including: > > - An action alert that can be sent out to your networks today; > - An action alert that can be sent out to your networks on Thursday; and > - Sample tweets and graphics that can be shared throughout the day on Thursday. > The information includes both lobbying and purely educational content. CEF has shared our charts, tables, and advocacy materials. If your organization has additional resources to add to the toolkit today, please email Kami Spicklemire at kspicklemire@americanprogress.org <mailto:kspicklemire@americanprogress.org>. > > · Press event on effect of tight NDD spending on Thursday – House Budget Committee ranking member John Yarmuth (D-KY) and House Appropriations Committee ranking member Nita Lowey (D-NY) are holding a press event on the effects of tight NDD spending caps, in particular on education and health care programs. This is in advance of the release of the President’s full budget and before the budget and appropriations process begins in earnest, and part of their efforts to push to raise the NDD cap for the coming fiscal year. They are inviting invited NDD United and anyone else to join them, and ask that you wear your “raise the caps” caps if you have them. The event will be on Thursday, May 18, at 10am at the House Triangle on the Capitol grounds. > > · CEF Hill visits – The Hill Teams are continuing to meet with the offices of Members on the Appropriations and Budget Committees, and Democratic Senators up for re-election in “red states” in 2018. Upcoming meetings include: > o Senator Kennedy (R-LA), on Budget Committee and Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee > o Senator Reed (D-RI), on Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee – space still available for Hill Teams members to join this meeting on May 18 at 3:30pm > o Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), on Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee – space still available for Hill Teams members to join this meeting on May 19 at 12:30pm > > · FYI, Impact Aid sign-on letter – CEF member National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) is seeking national and state organizations to sign on to a letter (attached) urging Appropriations Committee leaders to reject the President’s proposed fiscal year 2018 cut to Impact Aid Federal Properties. For questions or to sign on by June 2, please contact Jocelyn Bissonnette at Jocelyn@nafisdc.org <mailto:Jocelyn@nafisdc.org>. > > III. Policy Intelligence and Education News > > · Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act <https://www.hirono.senate.gov/press-releases/hirono-murray-davis-scott-introduce-major-legislation-to-secure-pell-grant-program-and-make-college-more-affordable-for-low-income-students> introduced yesterday – Democrats in the House and Senate introduced this bill on Tuesday. You can get all the details from Bryce McKibbon, Education Policy Advisor on the Senate HELP Committee Democratic staff, who is speaking at Friday’s CEF meeting. > > · Department of Education FY 2017 budget tables – The Department of Education has updated its budget table <https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget17/17action.pdf> to reflect the final fiscal year 2017 funding levels for all programs. This very helpful table shows last year’s level, President Obama’s 2017 request, various intermediate levels, and the final 2017 funding level. The state tables <https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html> do not yet reflect the final 2017 levels, just estimates. > > IV. Events > > · Please RSVP for Friday’s CEF meeting – AFSCME is kindly hosting CEF’s Friday morning meeting this week, and has asked for a list of attendees to speed admission under their building’s new policy. If you are planning to attend – and we hope you will! – please RSVP by providing your name and organization to Janet Nice at Nice@cef.org <mailto:Nice@cef.org>. (You can still attend at the last minute, but will have to check in at the front desk.) > > · May 24 AAUW panel on “Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans– The American Association of University Women is holding a panel discussion entitled on the disproportionate effects of student loan debt on women, who take out more debt and pay it back more slowly due to the gender pay gap. The event is on May 24 from 2-3:30pm at New America (740 15th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC). For more information or to register to attend or watch the livestream, click here <http://www.aauw.org/event/2017/05/deeper-in-debt-launch/>. > > · May 24 Department of Education webinar on changes to the Title IV-A ESSA grant – The Department of Education is holding a webinar on May 24, from 2-3:30pm, to explain changes to ESSA’s Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants made by the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill. Key changes include providing state educational agencies with the option of making competitive sub grants, rather than distributing funding by formula. You can register here <https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/node/9226/0/register>. > > · CEF’s upcoming schedule – > o Friday, May 19, 9-11 am: CEF meeting (AFSCME, 1625 L ST, NW). Guest speaker: Bryce McKibbon, Policy Advisor, Senate HELP Committee Democratic staff > o Friday, May 26, 9-11 am: CEF meeting (AASCU, 1307 NY Ave, NW). Guest speaker: Bob Moran, Deputy Education Policy Director, Senate HELP Committee Republican staff > o Friday, June 2 – No meeting > o Friday, June 9, 9-11 am: CEF meeting (AASCU, 1307 NY Ave, NW). Guest speaker: Mike Gentile, Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee Republican staff > o Friday, June 16, 9-11 am: Quarterly committee planning meeting (University of California, 1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1st Floor Auditorium) > o Friday, June 23, 9-11 am: CEF meeting (AASCU, 1307 NY Ave, NW). Guest speaker: Mary Cassell, OMB Education Branch chief, with education staffers > > My best, > > Sheryl > > > Sheryl V. Cohen, Executive Director