July 2005 — Editorial
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The Power In a Story
For the second year running, SETDA members tell T.H.E. readers
how they use technology effectively in their states and districts.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education approved its version of the fiscal year 2006 appropriations bill on June 9. This is noteworthy for T.H.E. Journal readers for a number of reasons:
- The subcommittee restored funding for most of the 48 education programs that the Bush administration had proposed cutting.
- The subcommittee chose to reduce the administration’s request for increased funding for Title I, special-education grants, and a high school reform initiative.
- The subcommittee included $300 million for the Title II D: Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This is a $196 million cut from FY2005, on top of the nearly $200 million cut from FY2004, but it is better than the $0 proposal from the Bush administration.
As we go to press, we have learned that the House Appropriations Committee included the $300 million for EETT in its “marked up” appropriations bill. It is possible that by the time you read this column, the appropriations bill will have passed through the full US House. The Senate is just beginning its efforts in this arena, but it looks as though there will be a large difference between the House and Senate subcommittees’ versions of appropriations. Congress probably will not reach an agreement about final funding until late fall.
This sets up an interesting confrontation between the White House and Congress on priorities for the future of education, from the federal perspective. (Keep in mind: the federal government provides less than 10 percent of all funding to education.) The insertion of $300 million for EETT in the House Subcommittee’s version provides hope for those of us in technology who feel that if NCLB is going to demand technology literacy for all eighth grade students and require that technology be integrated throughout all of curriculum and instruction by Dec. 31, 2006 — both of which are admirable goals — then the federal government should pay for what it takes to accomplish those goals. The potential funding also is another step in the growth and maturation of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), our partner in the creation of this issue and last year’s July issue.
The Formation of SETDA
One hot summer week in Albany, NY, in the early 1980s, a small group of state bureaucrats gathered in an unairconditioned hotel to talk about what they were doing with technology in their respective states. People were just beginning to think about how microcomputers could be used in schools, and the term “computer literacy” was being bandied about. At this time, few states had dedicated funds for technology, and the federal government had only a little money for instructional television and a few other small, scattered educational grant programs. This cabal would meet occasionally every 18 to 36 months, with little organization or structure and little purpose other than networking.
