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1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20036

Phone (202) 383-0083 Fax (202) 463-4803www.cef.org;www.twitter.com/edfunding

April 8, 2014

Dear Representative:

The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a coalition of 114 national educationassociations and institutions representing early learning to postgraduate education, writes toexpress our strong opposition to H. Con. Res. 96, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget

Resolution as reported by the Budget Committee.

This budget would devastate funding for education and make college less affordable by

more than doubling the level of cuts required by the sequester starting in FY 2016, freezingthe maximum Pell grant for ten years, eliminating over $90 billion in mandatory funding forPell grants (which will almost certainly result in a substantial cut to the maximum award),increasing student indebtedness by $47 billion by eliminating the in-school interest subsidyfor subsidized student loans and restricting income-based repayment, and narrowingeligibility for need-based student aid. It also eliminates all funding for public and schoollibraries, museums and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The Ryan budget will cause irreparable harm to children, students, schools, libraries,

museums and collegesand will undermine job creation, economic growth and globalcompetitiveness by:

moving our nation backward in efforts to close achievement gaps, improve overallstudent achievement, and increase high school graduation, college access andcollege completion rates;

making postsecondary education more expensive for low- and middle-incomefamilies; and,

stifling innovation by its cuts to scientific research.Rather than a path to prosperity the proposed budget represents a road to ruin.

Overall, the Budget Resolution would cut nondefense discretionary (NDD) spending overten years by $791 billion below the post-sequester caps levels established in the BudgetControl Act. While it adheres to the NDD cap for FY 2015 set by the Bipartisan Budget Act

(BBA), in FY 2016 alone it cuts NDD spending by $43 billion (-8.7%) below the sequesterlevel. It then locks in these cuts for the succeeding eight years. Indeed, the level of fundingin FY 2016 would be below the FY 2013 sequester level, completely reversing the benefitsof the BBA.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kimberly Jones, PresidentCouncil for Opportunity inEducation

Noelle Ellerson, Vice-PresidentAASA: The School SuperintendentsAssociation

Jared Solomon,TreasurerFirst Focus Campaign for Children

Myrna Mandlawitz,Past PresidentSchool Social Work Association ofAmerica

Jacki BallNational Association of SecondarySchool Principals

Jocelyn Bissonnette

National Association of FederallyImpacted Schools

Jeff Carter

National Council of State Directorsof Adult Education

Jim Gelb

California State University

Earl Hadley

American Federation of Teachers

John LaughnerMagnet Schools of America

Cyndy Littlefield

Association of Jesuit Colleges andUniversities

Megan McClean

National Association of StudentFinancial Aid Administrators

Makese Motley

American Association of StateColleges and Universities

Jane West

American Association of Collegesfor Teacher Education

Corey WilliamsNational Education Association

Megan WolfeASCD

Joel Packer, Executive DirectorCommittee for Education Funding

http://www.cef.org/http://www.cef.org/http://www.twitter.com/edfundinghttp://www.twitter.com/edfundinghttp://www.twitter.com/edfundinghttp://www.twitter.com/edfundinghttp://www.cef.org/

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NDD Cap Levelsin billions of $

If these discretionary cuts were applied equally to all agencies, the Department of Education would be cut by $5.87billion in FY 2016 and Head Start by an additional $750 million. The cuts would increase in FY 2017 to a $6.8billion cut to Education programs and an $872 million cut to Head Start.

The cuts to NDD programs will actually be even worse, since the budget assumes the shift of $7 billion in Pellgrant mandatory funding in FY 2016 to this drastically reduced NDD pool of funds.

This budget will result in substantial cuts to critical programs including Title I aid to high-poverty schools; IDEA

funds for students with disabilities; Impact Aid; teacher quality grants; after-school grants; charter and magnetschool aid; English Language Acquisition grants; career, technical and adult education; campus-based student aid;aid to minority-serving institutions; TRIO and GEAR UP.

The need to increase the federal investment in education has never been greater. Jobs and the economy are directlylinked to such investments. Both unemployment rates and lifetime earnings are based on levels of educationattainment.

We support the following substitutes that restore these cuts and invest in education including:

The Van Hollen Substitute The Congressional Black Caucus Substitute The Congressional Progressive Caucus Substitute

Solving our nations fiscal situation and reducing the debt cant and wont happen simply by slashing educationand other nondefense discretionary spending. We urge you to reject H. Con. Res 96 and instead adopt a Budget

Resolution that invests in education and our nations future.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Jones Joel Packer

President Executive Director