Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

Summary and Background Information

Table of Contents

Page

I. SUMMARY OF THE 2019 BUDGET ....................................................................................... 2

Department of Education Discretionary Appropriations ......................................................2

Major Initiatives for Fiscal Year 2019..................................................................................2

More Choices for More Families .................................................................................. 3

High-Quality Special Education Services to Children with Disabilities.......................... 4

More Pathways to Successful Careers ........................................................................ 4

Promoting Innovation and Reform in STEM Education ................................................ 5

Implementation of School-based Opioid Abuse Prevention Strategies......................... 6

Making the Department More Efficient While Reducing the Federal Role in Education 6

II. THE 2019 EDUCATION BUDGET BY PROGRAM AREA...................................................... 8

A. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION .............................................................8

Overview............................................................................................................................8

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies ......................................................................9

Opportunity Grants...........................................................................................................10

Education Innovation and Research.................................................................................10

Charter Schools Grants....................................................................................................11

Magnet Schools Assistance .............................................................................................11

State Assessments ..........................................................................................................12

School Safety National Activities ......................................................................................12

English Language Acquisition ..........................................................................................13

Migrant Education ............................................................................................................13

Neglected and Delinquent Education ...............................................................................13

Education for Homeless Children and Youths ..................................................................14

Rural Education................................................................................................................14

Indian Education ..............................................................................................................14

Impact Aid........................................................................................................................15

Training and Advisory Services ........................................................................................16

Supplemental Education Grants.......................................................................................16

B. SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION SERVICES...........................................17

Overview..........................................................................................................................17

Grants to States ...............................................................................................................18

Preschool Grants .............................................................................................................19

Grants for Infants and Families ........................................................................................19

State Personnel Development..........................................................................................19

Technical Assistance and Dissemination .........................................................................20

Personnel Preparation......................................................................................................20

Parent Information Centers ..............................................................................................20

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials ................................................................21

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants.....................................................................21

Client Assistance State Grants.........................................................................................22

Training............................................................................................................................22
Demonstration and Training .............................................................................................22

Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals ...................................................23

Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights...................................................................23

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults........................................24

American Printing House for the Blind..............................................................................24

National Technical Institute for the Deaf...........................................................................24

Gallaudet University .........................................................................................................25

C. CAREER, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION ........................................................26

Overview..........................................................................................................................26

Career and Technical Education ......................................................................................26

Adult Education................................................................................................................27

D. STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE .............................................................................28

Overview..........................................................................................................................28

Student Aid Summary Tables...........................................................................................30

Number of Student Aid Awards ........................................................................................31

Federal Pell Grant Program .............................................................................................32

Campus-Based Aid Programs..........................................................................................32

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants....................................................33

Federal Work-Study .........................................................................................................33

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants................................................................................34

TEACH Grants .................................................................................................................34

Federal Family Education Loans and Direct Loans ..........................................................35

E. HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ...............................................................................38

Overview..........................................................................................................................38

Aid for Institutional Development......................................................................................40

Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.................................................................................43

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions ...............................44

Special Programs for Migrant Students ............................................................................44

Federal TRIO Programs...................................................................................................45

Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education 

(TPSID)........................................................................................................................45

Child Care Access Means Parents in School ...................................................................46

Howard University ............................................................................................................46

Academic Facilities ..........................................................................................................47

F. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES........................................................................48

Overview..........................................................................................................................48

Research, Development, and Dissemination....................................................................48

Statistics ..........................................................................................................................48

Assessment .....................................................................................................................49

Research in Special Education.........................................................................................49

Special Education Studies and Evaluations......................................................................50
III. PROGRAMS PROPOSED FOR ELIMINATION...................................................................51

IV. DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT .....................................................................................57

History and Background...................................................................................................57

Salaries and Expenses Overview.....................................................................................58

Program Administration ..............................................................................................59

Student Aid Administration .........................................................................................59

Office for Civil Rights ..................................................................................................60

Office of Inspector General.........................................................................................61

APPENDICES...........................................................................................................................62

“The foundation of the American Dream is a quality education that instills lifelong skills and 

develops strong character. All our Nation’s children deserve the chance to be successful, to live 

fulfilling lives, and to give back to our communities. As parents, teachers, and advocates, we 

recommit to ensuring that all children in America have a meaningful opportunity to harness their 

full potential.” 

-President Donald J. Trump

I. SUMMARY OF THE 2019 BUDGET

In his first address to a joint session of Congress on February 28, 2017, President Trump 

underscored the importance of educational choice and providing families with access to quality 

educational options, noting that families should be free to choose the school that is right for their 

children. The fiscal year 2018 President’s Budget request refocused the Department’s mission 

to support States, school districts, and postsecondary institutions in their efforts to provide a 

high-quality education to all students. Each family should have the chance to select the 

educational path that best meets their child’s needs, regardless of where or how instruction is 

delivered.

The fiscal year 2019 President’s Budget request expands on the President’s fiscal year 

2018 Budget request, while beginning to implement fundamental reforms aimed at reducing the 

size and scope of the Federal role in education and empowering States, communities, and 

parents to improve the performance of our schools and postsecondary institutions. Quality 

education exists when parents have a voice in choosing their child’s K-12 schools and students 

have the tools they need to succeed. Decades of investments and billions of dollars in spending 

have shown that an increase in funding does not guarantee high-quality education. While the 

Budget reduces the overall Federal role in education, the Budget makes strategic investments 

to support and empower families and improve access to postsecondary education, ensuring a 

future of prosperity for all Americans. 

The 2019 Budget also places a renewed focus on the Department’s core mission: serving 

vulnerable students, ensuring equal access for all students, protecting their paths to a worldclass education, and empowering local educators to deliver for our students. The Department of 

Education promotes excellence and access to opportunity in elementary, secondary, and 

postsecondary education. The Department focuses its mission on supporting States and school 

districts in their efforts to provide high-quality education to all students and on streamlining and 

simplifying funding for college and expanding access to new, high-quality postsecondary 

options.

The Administration’s 2019 request maintains funding for essential K-12 formula grant programs 

that support the Nation’s neediest students, while also delivering on the President’s commitment 

to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a high-quality school that meets their 

unique educational needs. This Budget also proposes to ensure students can successfully 

pursue additional pathways of postsecondary education and training. The Budget invests in 

career and technical education, streamlines student loan repayment, and offers the opportunity 

to use Pell Grants for high-quality, short-term training. These proposals would support 

congressional efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act to address student debt and 

higher education costs while reducing the complexity of student financial aid.
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The President requests $59.9 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of 

Education in fiscal year 2019, an $8 billion or 12 percent reduction below the 2018 

annualized Continuing Resolution (CR) level. The 2019 President’s Budget Request 

includes the cancellation $1.6 billion of unobligated balances in the Pell Grant program.

The table below displays the 2019 President’s Request without Pell Grants, the 

2019 discretionary request for the Pell Grant program, and the 2019 total discretionary request.

Department of Education Discretionary Appropriations

(in billions of dollars)

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Change

from 2018

Discretionary

(without Pell Grants) $45.6 $45.6 $39.0 -$6.6

Pell Grants

(discretionary portion) $22.5 $22.3 $22.5 +$0.2

Total $66.81 $67.9 $59.92 -$8.12

1 The 2017 total reflects the cancellation of $1.3 billion of unobligated balances in the Pell Grant program. 2 The 2019 President’s Budget Request includes the cancellation $1.6 billion of unobligated balances in the Pell 

Grant program.

The Department’s Budget also includes mandatory funds. In general, mandatory funding does 

not require an annual appropriation because authorizing legislation establishes a fixed funding 

level or a method for calculating automatic appropriations without further congressional action. 

The largest mandatory programs in the Department's Budget are Federal student loans for 

postsecondary students, the costs of which are estimated based on assumptions about the cost 

of Federal borrowing, loan volume, origination fees, repayments, and defaults. In total, 

discretionary and mandatory funding would make available $189.4 billion in aid to education in 

fiscal year 2019, of which $129.5 billion would fund new postsecondary grants, loans, and 

work-study assistance to help an estimated 11.4 million students and their families pay for 

postsecondary education and training.

Major Initiatives for Fiscal Year 2019

The 2019 Budget Request puts particular emphasis on six major priorities: (1) providing better 

choices to attend a high-quality school for more families; (2) supporting high-quality special 

education services to children with disabilities; (3) expanding access to additional pathways to 

successful careers for our students; (4) promoting innovation and reform around science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and computer science education; 

(5) implementing school-based opioid abuse prevention strategies; and (6) making the 

Department more efficient while limiting the Federal role in education.
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More Choices for More Families

President Trump believes that a child’s future should not be determined by his or her parents’ 

income or zip code, and the next generation should not be trapped in a broken system that puts 

the status quo ahead of students’ success. Parents are the best advocates for their children, 

and we must expand their access to a wide range of high-quality educational choices, including 

strong public, charter, magnet, private, online, parochial, and homeschool options. Each child is 

precious and unique, and we must enable our communities to provide a range of schooling 

options, which will allow students to thrive and prepare for success in adulthood.

In 2012, approximately 78 percent of kindergarten through 12th grade students attended the 

public school to which they were geographically assigned, about 14 percent attended a public 

school of their choice, and more than 8 percent attended a private school. In addition, among all 

children ages 5–17, approximately 3 percent were homeschooled in 2012, the latest year for 

which homeschool data are available. Satisfaction levels are the highest among private school 

parents, with more than 80 percent of parents saying they were ‘‘very satisfied’’ with their 

children’s school. Parents of children at public charter schools and public schools of choice also 

showed levels of satisfaction that were significantly higher than parents at geographically 

assigned district schools. 

The fiscal year 2019 Budget Request would encourage States and school districts to put 

students and families first by establishing or expanding both public and private school choice. 

The Budget provides funding through a new grant program, and leverages current programs, 

such as Title I grants, to expand the number of students who have access to school choice. In 

addition, the Budget expands support for charter schools and continues support for magnet 

schools. 

Together these policies create a comprehensive approach to supporting the long-term goal of 

giving every student, particularly disadvantaged students, the opportunity to attend a school of 

his or her choice. The following proposals shift the national debate around education reform 

toward an emphasis on individual student needs rather than the longtime and mostly ineffectual 

focus on buildings, systems, and schools.

• $500 million for a new Opportunity Grants program to expand both private and public 

school choices, particularly for students from low-income families or those attending 

schools identified for improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 

States could apply for funding to provide scholarships to students from low-income 

families that could be used to transfer to a private school. Additionally, local educational 

agencies (LEAs) participating in the Department’s weighted student funding (WSF) pilot 

could request funds to build on the flexibility provided by WSF systems by establishing 

or expanding open enrollment systems. The WSF pilot, which will be available to up to 

50 districts in school year 2018-2019 and to all districts in school year 2019-2020,

provides programmatic flexibility in Title I and other major K-12 formula grant programs

in return for equitable funding that follows a student to his or her school.

• Expanding the Direct Student Services set-aside in Title I from 3 percent to 5 percent to 

encourage States to leverage more Title I funds to support public school choice options, 

including ensuring that disadvantaged students trapped in low-performing schools have 

the opportunity to transfer to another, higher-performing school or take advantage of 

advanced coursework or career preparation classes not available in their regular 

schools.
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• $500 million for the Charter School Program, an increase of $160 million over the fiscal 

year 2018 annualized CR level, to support State and local efforts to start new charter 

schools, replicate and expand existing high-performing charter schools, and provide

high-quality facilities for charter schools.

• $98 million for the Magnet School program, the same as the 2017 level, to increase 

educational options for students and families through the creation of high-quality magnet 

schools in LEAs implementing desegregation plans.

High-Quality Special Education Services to Children with Disabilities

To support State and local education agencies in providing high-quality special education 

services to more than 6.8 million children with disabilities, the Budget maintains the Federal 

investment in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) formula and discretionary 

grant programs. The Budget invests $12.8 billion for IDEA formula grants to States to support 

special education and early intervention services. In addition, the Budget requests $222 million 

for discretionary grants to States, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit 

organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, and 

personnel preparation and development. These investments would help ensure that high-quality 

special education and related services meet the unique needs of children with disabilities and 

their families.

More Pathways to Successful Careers

In today’s rapidly changing economy, it is more important than ever to prepare workers to fill 

existing and newly created jobs as well as the jobs of the future. However, higher education is 

becoming increasingly unaffordable. Furthermore, many colleges and universities fail to help 

students graduate with the skills necessary to secure high paying jobs in today’s workforce. 

Currently, far too many individuals leave postsecondary schools with unmanageable student 

debt and no direct connection to jobs.

Meeting this challenge requires starting earlier in a student’s education and providing multiple 

pathways beginning in high school that help students identify and build upon their unique 

strengths. Students should be able to pursue their education how and when it fits their needs, 

financial status, and educational goals. There is no single, conventional path to success. The 

Administration believes students need to have a full host of options, including technical schools, 

community colleges, and apprenticeships. 

Expanding apprenticeships and reforming ineffective education and workforce development 

programs will help more Americans to obtain relevant skills and high-paying jobs. 

Apprenticeships provide paid, relevant workplace experiences and opportunities to develop 

skills that employers value. Additionally, they provide affordable paths to good jobs and, 

ultimately, fulfilling careers. The 2019 Budget includes the following proposals that would 

promote multiple pathways to successful careers while minimizing costs to students and 

families: 

• Expanding the Pell Grant program to cover short-term programs. The Department’s 

fiscal year 2019 request proposes to expand Pell Grant recipients’ eligibility to include 

high-quality short-term programs that provide students with a credential, certification, or 
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license in an in-demand field, with sufficient guardrails in place to balance students’ 

needs with protecting taxpayers’ interests. 

• Perkins Career and Technical Education Act Reauthorization. The request includes level 

funding of $1.1 billion for Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants to support 

a Perkins Act reauthorization proposal that would increase support for high school CTE 

programs, promote and expand apprenticeships, prioritize CTE STEM programs 

(especially in high school), and target services to disadvantaged students. 

Promoting Innovation and Reform in STEM Education

Today, too many of our Nation’s K-12 and postsecondary students lack access to high-quality 

STEM and computer science education. Supporting STEM education is imperative to better 

equip America’s young people with the relevant knowledge and skills that would enable them to 

secure high-paying, stable jobs throughout their careers. The number of jobs requiring STEM 

skills continues to grow with the ever-expanding role of technology in driving the global 

economy. Courses in computer science are especially scarce in too many schools, with threefifths of high schools not offering computer programming. Minorities and students in rural 

communities often have even less access to computer science education. Nationwide, only 

34 percent of African-American students and 30 percent of rural high school students have 

access to a computer science class. Furthermore, even where classes are offered, there is a 

serious gender gap. Consistent with the Presidential Memorandum on STEM education, the

Budget directs at least $200 million to STEM education. This $200 million includes: 

• $180 million for Education Innovation and Research for competitive grants that would 

support the creation, development, implementation, replication, and scaling up of 

evidence-based innovations designed to improve student achievement in STEM fields, 

including computer science. 

• $20 million to support innovative Career and Technical Education programs in STEM 

fields through awards to consortia of secondary and postsecondary providers that would 

work with employers and local workforce agencies to ensure that the CTE programs they 

develop are aligned with regional workforce and labor market needs.

The fiscal year 2019 Budget also maintains level funding for all continuation grants supporting 

projects that focus on STEM activities, including: 

• $14 million in STEM grants awarded under IDEA Part D programs;

• $50 million in STEM-related research grants under Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

programs; and

• $68 million in Higher Education Act (HEA) discretionary program grants, including the 

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program and TRIO Upward Bound Math 

and Science, along with $100 million in mandatory funding that is authorized under the 

Hispanic Serving Institution STEM and Articulation program. 
6

Implementation of School-based Opioid Abuse Prevention Strategies

The opioid crisis has devastated families and communities across the United States, and the 

Administration believes that schools can play an important role in both preventing opioid abuse 

and addressing the mental health and other needs of students affected by the epidemic. The 

Budget invests $43 million for School Climate Transformation grants to help school districts 

implement multi-tiered, evidence-based strategies to prevent opioid-abuse and address 

associated behavioral and academic challenges through interventions such as trauma 

counseling, violence prevention and targeted academic support. This funding would also 

support technical assistance centers that develop and provide opioid abuse prevention

resources that would be publicly available to all schools and postsecondary institutions. In 

addition, the request includes $459 million for the Grants for Infants and Families formula 

program, which is authorized under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

(IDEA). States have the flexibility to use Part C funds to address the needs of the growing 

population of infants and toddlers that are likely to require early intervention services due to the 

rise in opiate addiction.

Making the Department More Efficient While Reducing the Federal Role in Education

The Budget reflects a number of reform proposals aimed at streamlining ED’s internal 

organization and improving ED’s services to States, districts, postsecondary institutions, and the 

public while reducing the Department’s workforce. The Department’s fiscal year 2019 request 

continues the Administration's strong emphasis on combining fiscal discipline with fundamental 

reforms aimed at reducing the size and scope of the Federal role in education and empowering 

States, communities, and parents to improve the performance of our schools and 

postsecondary institutions. The President’s 2019 Budget eliminates, streamlines, or reduces 

funding for 41 discretionary programs that do not address national needs, duplicate other 

programs, are ineffective, or are more appropriately supported with State, local, or private funds. 

These efficiencies would decrease taxpayer costs by $7.9 billion. Key proposed eliminations 

include Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, 21st Century Community Learning 

Centers, and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program. 

The Budget supports Federal Student Aid (FSA) in undertaking a monumental student loan 

servicing upgrade. FSA is reorganizing its fragmented servicing and operating infrastructure in 

order to provide an innovative world-class financial services experience for its customers. The 

Next Generation Financial Services Environment at FSA will start with a mobile-first, mobilecomplete engagement layer for all customer interactions that will link with an integrated but 

nimble new system. Integrated into every aspect of this modernization effort will be state-of-theart cyber security protection. The end goal of this technical reorganization and modernization 

effort will be to provide better service for FSA's more than 40 million customers, including 

students and institutions, across the student loan lifecycle. The new environment will help

increase awareness and understanding of Federal student aid opportunities and responsibilities, 

improve FSA’s operational flexibility, and enhance cost and operational efficiency, producing 

better outcomes for students and taxpayers. 
7

The Budget also streamlines or consolidates programs to yield program management 

efficiencies and focus on activities that are supported by strong evidence, with the following 

reductions and proposals: 

• $550 million for the Federal TRIO programs. The TRIO programs are the largest and 

most administratively burdensome grant programs now administered by the Department. 

The request proposes to transition TRIO to a single State formula that would reduce the 

Federal role in administering competitive education programs while giving States 

significantly more authority to prioritize support for grantees based on the unique needs 

and conditions in their States. At the 2019 request level, the Administration would 

support continuations for the TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound programs, but 

would not fund the Student Support Services, McNair Post-baccalaureate and 

Educational Opportunity Centers programs. The request includes no funds for the 

Gaining Early Awareness Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), but 

many of the activities currently supported under GEAR UP can be supported through the 

Administration’s proposal for TRIO; both programs support activities to help low-income 

and other disadvantaged students progress through the academic pipeline from middle 

school through college. 

• $147.9 million for consolidating six HEA Title III and V programs into an institutionalbased formula grant program. This single institutional formula program would merge 

separate competitive grant authorities containing significant overlap into a new program. 

The new program would allocate funding to institutions using a formula while maintaining 

current funding levels and helping to ensure that Minority Serving Institutions (including 

Hispanic Serving Institutions) continue to receive support for critical investments in 

infrastructure, curricula, student services, and other activities currently authorized under 

Titles III and V. Under the request, programs that primarily support awards to Historically 

Black Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Graduate Institutions, and Tribally 

Controlled Colleges and Universities would continue as separate line items in the 

Budget.
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II. THE 2019 EDUCATION BUDGET BY PROGRAM AREA

A. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Overview

The 2019 request for elementary and secondary education reflects the reauthorization of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

ESSA reauthorized the ESEA for the first time in 14 years and eliminated many of the 

prescriptive and obsolete requirements of the previous authorization, the No Child Left Behind 

Act.

The reauthorized ESEA recognizes that the primary responsibility for creating, improving, and 

sustaining public education systems lies with States and local school districts. Consequently, 

the law builds on State and local reform efforts in recent years that help to ensure educational 

opportunity for all students. Key provisions include:

• Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college 

and careers;

• Requiring that, when students and schools fall behind, steps are taken to help them 

improve, with a particular focus on the lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I schools, high 

schools with low graduation rates, and schools where subgroups, including students from 

low-income families, English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color, are 

falling behind;

• Empowering State and local decision makers to continue to refine their own systems for 

school improvement; and

• Supporting the replication and expansion of high-performing charter schools for high-need 

students, including those that emphasize strategies for increasing racial and socioeconomic 

diversity.

The Administration’s 2019 request maintains funding for essential formula grant programs that 

serve as the foundation of the ESEA’s focus on disadvantaged student groups that often 

struggle to meet challenging State academic standards, graduate high school, and transition 

successfully to a postsecondary education or a career path, including students from low-income 

families, English learners, students with disabilities, homeless students, and Native American 

students.

At the same time, the request includes proposals designed to help deliver on President Trump’s 

commitment to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a high-quality school 

selected by his or her parents:

• A new Opportunity Grants program that would make available $500 million to expand both 

private and public school choices, particularly for students from low-income families or 

attending schools identified for improvement under the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act. States could apply for funding to provide scholarships to students from lowincome families that could be used to transfer to a private school, while local educational 

agencies participating in the Department’s Weighted Student Funding (WSF) pilot could 
9

request funds to build on the flexibility provided by WSF systems to establish or expand 

open enrollment systems. 

• An expansion of the Direct Student Services set-aside in Title I from 3 percent to 5 percent 

to encourage States to leverage more Title I funds to support educational options, including 

ensuring that disadvantaged students attending a public school identified for improvement 

under the ESEA have the opportunity to transfer to another, higher-performing school. 

• A $160.2 million increase for the Charter Schools Program to expand significantly efforts to 

start up new charter schools or expand and replicate existing high-quality charter schools to 

meet the growing demand for charter school seats and to assist charter school operators’ to

access facilities.

• $97.6 million for the Magnet School program, the same as the 2017 level, to increase 

educational options for students and families through the creation of high-quality magnet 

schools in LEAs implementing desegregation plans.

The 2019 request also streamlines and refocuses the Federal investment in ESEA programs by 

eliminating funding for 17 programs totaling $4.4 billion that are duplicative, ineffective, or more 

appropriately supported through State, local, or private funding sources.

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions............................................... $15,459.8 $15,428.4 $15,459.8

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies provides supplemental education funding, 

especially in high-poverty areas, for local programs that provide extra academic support to help 

students in high-poverty schools meet challenging State academic standards. The program 

serves approximately 25 million students in nearly 60 percent of all public schools. Title I Grants 

to LEAs also provides the foundation for the accountability system under ESEA, which 

emphasizes State and local responsibilities in the areas of standards and assessments, 

measuring student academic progress, reporting on performance, and supporting school 

improvement to provide all students equitable access to a high-quality education and close 

achievement gaps. The request maintains strong support for the program, with fiscal year 2019 

funds supporting full State and local implementation of the reauthorized ESEA based on the 

consolidated State plans the Department anticipates approving for all States during the 2017-

2018 school year. 

The Budget also proposes to expand the Title I Direct Student Services set-aside from 3 percent 

to 5 percent to encourage States to leverage Title I funds to support expanded educational 

options for disadvantaged students, including the option for students in schools identified for 

improvement to transfer to a higher-performing school. In addition, funds could be used for 

academic tutoring; coursework not normally available in a student’s school, including Advanced 

Placement or other postsecondary level courses; career and technical education coursework 

that leads to an industry-recognize credential; and personalized learning. 
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Opportunity Grants

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions................................................. — — $500.0

The proposed Opportunity Grants program would significantly increase options that empower 

families to choose a private or public school that meets the unique needs of their children, with a 

priority for grantees serving low-income students and students enrolled in low-performing 

schools identified for improvement under the ESEA. The program would include two 

components: Scholarships for Private Schools (SPS) and Open Enrollment Grants (OEG).

SPS would make competitive grants for up to 5 years to State-based entities or non-profit 

organizations currently operating private school voucher programs in order to scale up and 

validate private school choice as a strategy for (1) expanding school choices for parents who 

wish to send their children to high-quality private schools; (2) improving educational outcomes 

for students from low-income families or students enrolled in persistently low-performing 

schools; and (3) increasing competition in order to improve the quality and performance of all 

schools. 

OEG would make competitive awards to LEAs approved to operate Flexibility for Equitable PerPupil Funding pilots authorized by Part E of Title I of the ESEA (the Department expects to 

make pilot applications available in early 2018) that agree to combine the funding flexibility in 

Title I, Part E with an open enrollment policy to enhance public school choice. The grantees 

would establish or expand student-centered systems that: (1) differentiate funding based on 

student characteristics, providing disadvantaged students more funding on a per-pupil basis 

than other students; (2) offer students a range of viable public school options, which may 

include public charter schools, and enable Federal, State, and local funds to follow a student to 

a public school of his or her choice; (3) make school performance and funding data easily 

accessible to parents; and (4) empower school leaders to use funds flexibly to address student 

and community needs.

Education Innovation and Research

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions................................................. $100.0 $99.3 $180.0

The Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program, the successor to the Investing in 

Innovation (i3) program, would support the creation, development, implementation, replication, 

and scaling up of evidence-based innovations designed to improve student achievement and 

attainment for high-need students. The request would support a competition to promote 

innovation and reform in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and 

computer science education. Identifying STEM education models that work, as determined 

through the rigorous project-level evaluations required under the EIR program, also would help 

States and school districts meet ESEA requirements to implement evidence-based interventions 

in schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement or targeted support and 

improvement. Thus, the 2019 request would support the twin goals of building the evidence 
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base for improved STEM education and helping to ensure that LEAs have the tools they need to 

address the persistent challenges in their lowest-performing schools. 

Charter Schools Grants

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions................................................. $342.2 $339.8 $500.0

Through grants to State entities, charter school developers, and charter school management 

organizations, Charter Schools Grants support the startup of new charter schools and the 

replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools serving students in prekindergarten 

through grade 12. Funds also support grants to improve charter schools’ access to facilities and 

information dissemination and evaluation activities.

The request would make significant new resources available for Charter Schools Grants in 

2019, supporting an estimated 475 new or expanded charter schools, and is a central element 

of the Administration’s efforts to empower States and communities to increase the number of 

high-quality educational options available to meet the varied needs of students and their 

families, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds. The request would expand 

funding for charter school developers, including through subgrants from State entities and 

through grants directly from the Department, to increase the number of available charter school 

seats and help reduce the number of students on charter school waiting lists. The request would 

also enable new, cost-effective investments of Federal funds in efforts to help charter schools

obtain affordable, high-quality facilities through grants that improve charter schools’ access to 

credit and that promote the establishment of dedicated State funding streams. Finally, the 

request would support a strengthened set of national activities, such as new grants through 

which experts would disseminate information on priority topics, which may include effective 

charter school authorizing practices.

Magnet Schools Assistance

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $97.6 $97.0 $97.6

Under this program, the Department makes competitive 5-year grants to support high-quality 

magnet schools in LEAs implementing a desegregation plan and to increase educational 

options for parents and families. The request would support 33 continuation awards.
12

State Assessments

Programs 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

(BA in millions) ................................................... $369.1 $366.6 $369.1

The 2019 request would help States continue to administer aligned assessment systems as part 

of their ongoing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Annual, high-quality, 

statewide assessments aligned to challenging State academic standards are a critical element 

of the statewide accountability systems that each State must establish under the Act, providing

parents and educators with information they need to enable students to be successful and make 

progress towards attainment of State-determined college- and career-ready academic 

standards. State assessments also help identify schools that are succeeding and schools where 

challenges remain in improving academic achievement and closing achievement gaps. The 

request would fund only the formula-based Grants for State Assessments and not the 

separately authorized Competitive Grants for State Assessments program.

School Safety National Activities

Programs 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $68.0 $67.5 $43.0

This program authorizes activities to improve students’ safety and well-being both during and 

after the school day. Funds are requested in 2019 for School Climate Transformation Grants to 

assist State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement 

evidence-based opioid-abuse prevention strategies for schools in communities impacted by the 

opioid crisis, which was responsible for more than 50,000 deaths in 2016 and has caused 

families and communities across America to endure significant pain and suffering. Funds would 

support efforts by school districts to develop and adopt, or expand to more schools, a multitiered decision-making framework that guides the selection, integration, and implementation of 

evidence-based behavioral practices for improving school climate and behavioral outcomes for 

all students. In the 2019 competition, the Department would give priority to applicants that 

describe how they would use funds to address the opioid epidemic, which would include at a 

minimum activities to prevent opioid abuse by students, and could also address the mental 

health needs of students who are negatively impacted by family or community members who 

are (or have been) opioid abusers. 

The request also includes $1 million would support the National Center on Safe Supportive 

Learning Environments, which provides technical assistance to SEAs, LEAs, and postsecondary 

institutions to provide safe and healthy environments that support student academic success. 
13

English Language Acquisition

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $737.4 $732.4 $737.4

This program awards formula grants to States based on each State’s share of the Nation’s 

English learners (ELs) and recent immigrant students. States must develop, in meaningful 

consultation with geographically diverse districts, statewide entrance and exit procedures for 

EL status, and also must ensure that districts annually assess the English proficiency of the 

EL students they serve. Schools use this funding to implement effective language instruction 

educational programs designed to help English learners attain English language proficiency. 

The program also awards grants to schools operated predominantly for Native American and 

Alaska Native students and supports national activities, including professional development for 

teachers of ELs and a clearinghouse of research-based information about instructional 

methods, strategies, and programs for ELs.

Migrant Education 

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $374.8 $372.2 $374.8

State Grants provide formula-based assistance in meeting the educational needs of children of 

migrant agricultural workers and fishers, including overcoming educational disruption and other 

challenges resulting from repeated moves, so that these students can meet the same academic 

standards expected of all children. In the 2015-2016 school year, 316,276 children were 

identified as eligible under the program, and States and local entities provided services to 

216,489 migrant students during the performance period (regular school year and 

summer/intersession) and 96,352 during the summer or intersessions. The Department uses a 

portion of funding to improve inter- and intra-State coordination of migrant education activities, 

including State exchange of migrant student data records through the Migrant Student 

Information Exchange system.

Neglected and Delinquent Education

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $47.6 $47.3 $47.6

This program provides formula grants to States to support education services for neglected and 

delinquent children and youth in local and State-run institutions, attending community day 

programs, and in correctional facilities. The request would help an estimated 80,000 neglected 

and delinquent students continue their studies while in State institutions and prepare them to 

return to and complete school and obtain employment.
14

Education for Homeless Children and Youths

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $77.0 $76.4 $77.0

This program, which is authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as 

amended, provides formula grants to States, which subgrant most funds to LEAs for services 

and activities that help homeless children enroll in, attend, and succeed in school, such as 

preschool programs, enriched supplemental instruction, before- and after-school programs, 

transportation, and health care referrals. States may reserve funds for State-level activities, 

including implementing a comprehensive State plan for the education of these children.

Rural Education

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions....................................................... $175.8 $174.6 $175.8

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) supports two programs to help rural school 

districts carry out activities to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. The 

Small, Rural School Achievement program provides formula funds to rural school districts that 

serve small numbers of students, and the Rural and Low-Income School program provides 

funds to rural school districts that serve concentrations of poor students, regardless of the 

district’s size. Funds appropriated for REAP are divided equally between the two programs. The 

request would maintain support for rural, often geographically isolated, districts that face 

significant challenges in meeting ESEA requirements.

Indian Education

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Grants to Local Educational Agencies ................ $100.4 $99.7 $100.4

Special Programs for Indian Children ................. 58.0 57.6 58.0

National Activities................................................ 6.6 6.5 6.6

Total ................................................................. 164.9 163.8 164.9

Indian Education programs supplement the efforts of States, LEAs, and Indian tribes to improve 

educational opportunities for Indian children. The programs link these efforts to broader 

educational reforms underway in States and localities to help ensure that these reforms benefit 

Indian students, enabling them to master the same challenging academic standards as other 

students by better meeting their educational and cultural needs.
15

Grants to Local Educational Agencies provide formula grants to LEAs and to schools operated 

by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education for activities to improve the 

educational achievement of Indian students. The request for Special Programs for Indian 

Children includes support for the Native Youth Community Projects (NYCP) initiative, which 

makes awards to high-need American Indian and Alaska Native communities to ensure the 

college- and career-readiness of Indian students. NYCP grants support projects that implement 

culturally relevant and coordinated strategies that are informed by evidence and data and 

address the greatest in- and out-of-school barriers facing students. 

The request also supports National Activities, which fund grants to support Native language 

immersion programs; State-Tribal Education Partnership grants to build the capacity of Tribal 

education agencies; and research, evaluation, and data collection activities designed to provide 

critical information on the educational status and needs of Indian students and to identify 

effective practices in the education of Indian students. 

Impact Aid

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Payments for Federally Connected Children: 

Basic Support Payments ............................ $1,189.2 $1,181.2 $664.0

Payments for Children with Disabilities ...... 48.3 48.0 48.3

Facilities Maintenance....................................... 4.8 4.8 4.8

Construction ...................................................... 17.4 17.3 17.4

Payments for Federal Property ......................... 68.8 68.3 0.0

Total............................................................ 1,328.6 1,319.6 734.6

The Impact Aid program provides financial assistance to school districts affected by Federal 

activities. The presence of certain children living on Federal property across the country can 

place a financial burden on the LEAs that educate them because such property is exempt from 

local property taxes, denying LEAs access to a key source of revenue used by most 

communities to finance education. Impact Aid helps replace the lost local revenue that would 

otherwise be available to LEAs to pay for the education of these children.

The request would provide significant support for the education of more than 800,000 federally 

connected children in almost 1,100 school districts while maintaining the fiscal discipline 

required to meet the President’s overall goal of increasing support for national security and 

public safety without adding to the Federal budget deficit. Since the request level would not be 

enough to honor the hold-harmless provisions in the statute, payments for every LEA would be 

ratably reduced from their prior year allocation at the same rate. While fiscal constraints 

required the reduction in funding for Basic Support Payments in the fiscal year 2019 request, 

the Administration believes that a better understanding—informed by a high-quality evaluation—

of the economic effects of the Federal presence in participating districts could support future 

reform proposals.
16

The request for Payments for Children with Disabilities would support formula grants to help 

eligible districts meet their obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to 

provide a free appropriate public education for federally connected children with disabilities. The 

request for Facilities Maintenance would fund essential repair and maintenance of the nine 

school facilities serving large numbers of military dependents that are owned and operated by 

the Department of Education, while also supporting the transfer of these schools to local school 

districts. The entire request for Construction would be used for competitive grants to the LEAs 

with the greatest need and would provide sufficient assistance to enable those LEAs to make 

major repairs and renovations. The Administration requests no funds for Payments for Federal 

Property because these payments compensate LEAs for lost property tax revenue due to the 

presence of Federal lands without regard to whether those districts educate any federally 

connected children.

Training and Advisory Services

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $6.6 $6.5 $6.6

This program supports four regional Equity Assistance Centers, selected competitively, that 

provide services to school districts on issues related to discrimination based on race, gender, 

national origin, and religion. Typical activities include disseminating information on successful 

practices and legal requirements related to nondiscrimination; providing training to educators to 

develop their skills in specific areas, such as in the identification of bias in instructional 

materials; and technical assistance on selection of instructional programs. The request would 

support the fourth year of funding for the current Equity Assistance Center grantees, as well as 

the annual administration of a customer satisfaction survey and an analysis of its results.

Supplemental Education Grants

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $16.7 $16.6 $16.7

The request would maintain support for Supplemental Education Grants to the Federated States 

of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), as authorized by the 

Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-188). Under this program, the 

Department transfers funds and provides recommendations on the uses of those funds to the 

Department of the Interior, which makes grants to the FSM and the RMI for educational services 

that augment the general operations of the educational systems of the two entities.

The request would allow the RMI and the FSM to support programs that focus on improving the 

educational achievement of students in the two Freely Associated States.
17

B. SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION SERVICES

Overview

The Administration is committed to providing Americans with disabilities the opportunities and 

services they need to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in the community. The fiscal 

year 2019 Budget supports a wide range of programs that can improve educational, 

employment, and independent living outcomes for people with disabilities. 

The $13.0 billion request for Special Education programs focuses on improving educational and 

developmental outcomes for children with disabilities. The Administration is committed to 

ensuring that, regardless of where they go to school, all children, including children with 

disabilities, have an equal opportunity to participate in a high-quality education; are expected to 

perform to high levels; and to the maximum extent possible, are prepared to lead productive, 

independent lives. For the Grants to States program, the Administration is requesting 

$12.0 billion, an increase of $18.5 million from the fiscal year 2018 annualized Continuing 

Resolution level, to maintain the Federal contribution toward meeting the excess cost of special 

education at the highest level in history. Grants cover 14 percent of the national average per 

pupil expenditure and provide an estimated average of $1,726 per student for about 6.9 million 

children ages 3 through 21. This funding would support States and local educational agencies 

(LEAs) as they work to improve results for children with disabilities. Funding for the Grants for 

Infants and Families and Preschool Grants programs would be maintained at the 2017 

appropriation level. 

The $222.1 million request for Special Education National Activities would maintain support for 

technical assistance, dissemination, training, and other activities that assist States, LEAs, 

parents, and others in improving results for children with disabilities. The earmark for Special 

Olympics Education programs would be eliminated.

For Rehabilitation Services, the Budget provides $3.6 billion to support comprehensive and 

coordinated vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities through training, 

demonstration, and technical assistance, as well as other direct service programs to help 

individuals with disabilities to live more independently in their communities. 

The Administration remains committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the 

opportunities to compete for and enjoy high-quality employment in the 21st century global 

economy. The $3.5 billion request for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants program 

includes an increase of $69.1 million over the fiscal year 2018 mandatory level, consistent with 

the inflation increase specified in the authorizing statute, to assist States and Tribal 

governments in increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. As an 

integral partner in the workforce development system, the VR program is the primary Federal 

vehicle for assisting individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals with the most significant 

disabilities, to prepare for, obtain, retain, or advance in high-quality employment. 

For the Demonstration and Training programs, the Administration requests $9.3 million, an 

increase of $3.5 million, to support an Inclusive Apprenticeships Center that would further the 

goals of the President’s Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeships in America 

(E.O. 13801). 
18

Consistent with the President’s fiscal year 2018 Budget request, no funds are requested for 

fiscal year 2019 for the Supported Employment State Grants program. The Administration 

recognizes that supported employment can be an effective strategy in assisting individuals with 

the most significant disabilities to obtain competitive employment in integrated settings. 

However, the Administration believes that a separate supplemental grant program is not 

necessary for the provision of supported employment services and the proposed elimination 

would reduce unnecessary administrative burden and streamline program administration at the 

Federal and State levels. The increase requested for the VR State Grants program also would 

help to reduce the impact of the loss of these supplemental funds.

Funding for the remaining programs in the Rehabilitation Services account would be maintained 

at the 2017 appropriation level.

The Budget includes $216.7 million for special institutions for persons with disabilities, including 

$25.4 million for the American Printing House for the Blind, $70.0 million for the National 

Technical Institute for the Deaf, and $121.3 million for Gallaudet University. 

Special Education

Grants to States

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $11,939.8 $11,984.4 $12,002.8

Estimated average Federal share

per child (in whole dollars)......................... $1,751 $1,738 $1,726

The Grants to States program, which is authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA), makes formula grants that help States pay the additional costs of 

providing special education and related services to children with disabilities aged 

3 through 21 years. The request, an increase of $18.4 million from the fiscal year 2018 

annualized Continuing Resolution level, would provide a per-child average of $1,726 for an 

estimated 6.9 million children with disabilities, setting the Federal contribution to about 

14 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure. 

Under the IDEA, States are required to provide a free appropriate public education to all 

children with disabilities. Services are provided in accordance with individualized education 

programs that are developed by teams that include the child’s parents, a special educator, a 

representative of the LEA, a regular educator, if appropriate; and others. In addition, services 

must be provided, to the maximum extent appropriate and in the least restrictive environment, 

which for most children means in classes with children who are not disabled. Students with 

disabilities also must be included in general State and district-wide assessments, including the 

assessments required under ESEA, and States must appropriately accommodate children with 

disabilities so they can participate in these assessments, or alternate assessments for those 

children with the most significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in regular 

assessments. 
19

Preschool Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $368.2 $365.7 $368.2

This program provides formula grants to help States make a free appropriate public education 

available to all children with disabilities ages 3 through 5. The request would provide an 

estimated $485 per child for approximately 760,000 children to supplement funds provided 

under the Grants to States program and help to ensure that young children with disabilities are 

ready to learn when they enter school. 

Grants for Infants and Families

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $458.6 $455.4 $458.6

This program provides formula grants to help States implement statewide systems of early 

intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families so that State and 

local agencies identify and serve children with disabilities early in life, when interventions can be 

most effective in improving educational outcomes. The request would enable States to provide 

high-quality early intervention services to approximately 362,000 infants and toddlers with 

disabilities and their families. 

State Personnel Development

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $38.6 $38.4 $38.6

This program provides competitive grants to help States reform and enhance their systems for 

personnel preparation and professional development in the areas of early intervention, 

educational, and transition services in order to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. 

The 2019 request would cover the cost of continuation awards to State educational agencies to 

improve the knowledge and skills of special education and regular education teachers serving 

children with disabilities. It would also help recruit and retain personnel who are qualified to 

provide services to children with disabilities.
20

Technical Assistance and Dissemination

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $44.3 $44.0 $44.3

This program funds competitive grants for technical assistance and dissemination of materials 

based on knowledge gained through research and practice. The request would support 

continuations costs for projects initiated in previous years and approximately $10.8 million in 

new awards.

Personnel Preparation

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions................................................... $83.7 $83.1 $83.7

This program helps ensure that there are adequate numbers of personnel with the skills and 

knowledge necessary to help children with disabilities succeed educationally. Program activities 

focus both on meeting the demand for personnel to serve children with disabilities and 

improving the qualifications of these personnel, with particular emphasis on incorporating 

knowledge gained from research and practice into training programs. The Department is 

required to support (1) training for leadership personnel and personnel who work with children 

with low-incidence disabilities, (2) at least one activity in the broadly defined area of personnel 

development, and (3) enhanced support for beginning special educators.

Parent Information Centers

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions............................................... $27.4 $27.2 $27.4

These funds support centers that provide parents with the training and information they need to 

work with professionals to meet the early intervention and special education needs of their 

children with disabilities. The request would support awards for about 98 centers as well as 

approximately 5 awards to provide technical assistance to the centers.
21

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $28.0 $27.9 $28.0

This program makes competitive awards for research, development, and other activities that 

promote the use of technology, including universal design features, in providing special 

education and related services. Funds also support media-related activities, such as providing 

video description and captioning of films and television for use in classrooms for individuals with 

visual and hearing impairments and increasing the availability of books in accessible formats for 

individuals with visual impairments and other print disabilities.

Rehabilitation Services

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $3,164.11 $3,452.91 $3,522.0

1 The amount shown for fiscal year 2017 reflects the 6.9 percent reduction that went into effect on October 1, 2016. 

The amount shown for fiscal year 2018 is the mandatory level for the VR State Grants program and does not include 

the 6.6 percent sequester reduction for mandatory programs that went into effect October 1, 2017, pursuant to the 

Budget Control Act of 2011. The reduced fiscal year 2018 amount is $3,225.0 million. 

This program provides formula grants to State VR agencies to help individuals with disabilities 

become gainfully employed. These agencies provide a wide range of services to nearly 

one million individuals with disabilities annually. Services include vocational evaluation, 

counseling and guidance, work adjustment, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental 

impairments, education and vocational training, job placement, and post-employment 

assistance. States that are unable to serve all eligible individuals with disabilities who apply 

must give priority to individuals with the most significant disabilities. Services are provided 

according to an individualized plan for employment. In implementing the changes to

Titles I and IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Department is 

working with its partners in the Federal workforce development system to improve employment 

outcomes for individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals with significant disabilities and 

youth with disabilities.

The Department’s request would assist States and Tribal governments to increase the 

participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. Giving workers with disabilities the 

supports and the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to pursue in-demand jobs and 

careers is critical to growing our economy. The requested increase ($69.1 million over the fiscal 

year 2018 mandatory level) is consistent with the inflation adjustment specified in the 

authorizing statute (2.0 percent for 2019). In 2016, the VR program helped approximately 
22

186,715 individuals with disabilities―94 percent with significant disabilities―achieve 

employment outcomes. Of the amount requested for VR State grants, $43.8 million would be set 

aside to support an approximately 89 grants, including 42 continuation tribal grants, about 

46 new tribal awards, and a technical assistance training grant under the American Indian VR

Services program in 2019.

Client Assistance State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $13.0 $12.9 $13.0

This program makes formula grants to States for activities to inform and advise clients of the 

benefits available to them under the Rehabilitation Act, to assist them in their relationships with 

service providers, and to ensure the protection of their rights under the Act. The request would 

support advocacy services for approximately 34,000 individuals with disabilities.

Training

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $29.4 $29.2 $29.4

The Training program makes competitive grants to State and other public or nonprofit agencies 

and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to help ensure that personnel with 

adequate skills are available to provide rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities.

Demonstration and Training

program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................... $5.8 $5.8 $9.3

This program supports competitive grants and contracts to expand and improve services in 

promoting the employment and independence of individuals with disabilities in the community. 

The majority of funds are used to support model demonstrations and technical assistance to 

improve the delivery and effectiveness of VR services. An increase of $3.5 million is requested 

for fiscal year 2019 to support an Inclusive Apprenticeships Center (IAC) that would further the 

goals of the President’s Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeships in America 

(E.O. 13801). The proposed 5-year IAC would provide intensive and targeted technical 

assistance (TA) to State VR agencies, business and industry, trade and labor organizations, 

and current and potential apprenticeship sponsors to expand apprenticeship opportunities for 
23

individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals with significant disabilities. The request would 

also support new competitions under the Braille Training and Parent Information and Training 

programs and continuation funding for the Career Pathway demonstration projects awarded in 

fiscal year 2015.

Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals

Programs program budget authority

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $33.3 $33.1 $33.3

The Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals program assists individuals aged 

55 or older whose severe visual impairments make competitive employment difficult to obtain. 

Funds are provided under a formula to State VR agencies to provide services designed to help 

eligible individuals to adjust to their blindness by increasing their ability to care for their 

individual needs. In fiscal year 2016, the program served approximately 58,555 individuals with 

severe visual impairments.

Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $17.7 $17.5 $17.7

The Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR) formula grant program funds systems 

in each State to protect and advocate for the legal and human rights of individuals with 

disabilities, helping them to pursue legal and administrative remedies to secure their rights 

under Federal law. The PAIR systems also provide information on, and referrals to, programs 

and services for individuals with disabilities. The request would support advocacy services to 

approximately 51,000 individuals with disabilities.
24

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $10.3 $10.3 $10.3

This program serves individuals who are deaf-blind, their families, and service providers through 

a national headquarters center with a residential training and rehabilitation facility and a network 

of 11 regional offices that provide referral, counseling, training, and technical assistance 

services. The funds requested would serve an estimated 1,600 consumers, 475 families, and 

985 agencies and organizations through its regional offices, and provide direct services for 

approximately 65 consumers at the Center’s residential training and rehabilitation program and 

30 consumers through the Community Services Program.

Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

American Printing House for the Blind ................. $25.4 $25.3 $25.4

National Technical Institute for the Deaf .............. 70.0 69.5 70.0

Gallaudet University ............................................. 121.3 120.5 121.3

Total............................................................... 216.7 215.3 216.7

American Printing House for the Blind

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) manufactures and distributes specially 

adapted educational materials for students who are visually impaired, offers advisory services 

for consumers and educational agencies, and conducts applied research related to the 

development of new products. At the request level, APH would provide free educational 

materials to approximately 64,634 persons with visual impairments at an average per student 

allotment of $294, continue funding for initiatives to improve its technical assistance and 

outreach services, and support a variety of new and continuing research projects.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) provides postsecondary technical education 

and training for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as graduate education and 

interpreter training programs. NTID also conducts research and provides training related to the 

education and employment of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Department 

maintains a contract with the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, for the 

operation of NTID. The request provides support for operations, including funds that may be 

used for the Federal Endowment Grant program.
25

Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University (University) offers bilingual (i.e., American Sign Language and English) 

undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs for individuals who are deaf or 

hard of hearing, and for hearing students wishing to pursue careers in fields related to deafness. 

The University also operates the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc Center), 

which includes two accredited demonstration schools serving deaf and hard of hearing 

elementary and secondary students: the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and the 

Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Through its National Mission programs, the Clerc Center 

is responsible for conducting research related to deaf education and for the provision of training 

and technical assistance to professionals and families around the country. The request provides 

support for operations of the University and the Clerc Center, including funds that may be used 

for the Federal Endowment Grant program.
26

C. CAREER, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION

Overview

Programs in the Career, Technical, and Adult Education account provide formula grants to 

States to support State and community efforts to improve career and technical education (CTE) 

and adult education and literacy systems. The Department also awards competitive grants and 

contracts under both CTE and adult education for evaluation, performance measurement and 

improvement, technical assistance, research and development, innovative programs, and other 

national activities. For 2019, the Administration is requesting $1.1 billion to support CTE 

programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act). The 

2019 request also provides $500.0 million for Adult Education programs.

Career and Technical Education

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

State Grants ......................................................... $1,112.2 $1,115.4 $1,117.6

National Programs ............................................... 7.4 7.4 20.0

Total ........................................................ 1,119.6 1,122.8 1,137.6

The request provides $1.1 billion for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants

program, an increase of $2.2 million from the fiscal year 2018 annualized Continuing Resolution 

level. CTE is an important component of the President’s job creation agenda, and the 

Administration is proposing to strengthen Federal support for high-quality, demand-driven CTE 

programs through the reauthorization of the Perkins Act. The Administration's proposal is 

designed to address weaknesses in the program to ensure that participants, upon exit, are able 

to work in careers for which there is high demand. Key proposals include the following:

• Direct the majority of funds for CTE State Grants to high schools to promote strategies 

that allow students to work and learn at the same time, such as apprenticeship and 

work-based learning.

• Promote higher quality in CTE programs in high schools by limiting CTE offerings to 

science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and other high-demand fields. 

• Authorize activities to promote and expand apprenticeships. This would bring the 

Perkins Act into alignment with the President’s June 15, 2017, Executive Order aimed at 

expanding apprenticeships programs in the United States. 

• Allow States to use program funds to support regional activities across districts and in 

partnership with local businesses and other stakeholders. 

• Improve the targeting of within-State funds on disadvantaged students.

• Promote the use of evidence-based research in design and implementation of CTE 

programs. Federal funds should only support effective programs.
27

The $20.0 million request for CTE National Programs provides an increase of $13 million that 

would support a competition to promote the development, enhancement, implementation, or 

expansion of innovative CTE programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

(STEM) fields, including computer science. 

Adult Education

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Adult Education State Grants.............................. $582.0 $578.0 $485.8

National Leadership Activities............................. 13.7 13.6 13.7

Total ....................................................... 595.7 591.6 499.6

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act was reauthorized by the Workforce Innovation and 

Opportunity Act (WIOA), which promotes alignment of the Adult Education programs with 

Federal job training programs and the postsecondary education system. The request provides 

$485.8 million for Adult Education State Grants, $92.2 million below the fiscal year 2018 

annualized Continuing Resolution level. The request reflects the tough decisions needed to 

achieve the President’s goal of increasing support for national security and public safety without 

adding to the Federal budget deficit. States and providers across the country are still working to 

implement changes in adult education requirements made as a result of the enactment of WIOA 

in July 2014; future decisions regarding the program will be informed by the statutorily required 

program evaluation and performance data based on the full implementation of WIOA. The 

program assists adults without a high school diploma or the equivalent to become literate and 

obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education, employment, and 

economic self-sufficiency. Funds proposed for National Leadership Activities would continue to 

support efforts to increase the literacy and workforce skills of adults. 
28

D. STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Overview

The student financial assistance programs support students in their pursuit of a postsecondary 

education. The fiscal year 2019 Budget for postsecondary student aid includes both 

discretionary and mandatory funding that would make available $129.5 billion in new grants, 

loans, and work-study assistance to help an estimated 11.4 million students and their families 

pay for college.

The fiscal year 2019 Budget for the Federal student aid programs focuses on simplifying funding 

for college and addressing the unique needs of today’s students. The Budget includes 

proposals that address student debt by simplifying student loan repayment and redirecting 

inefficiencies in the student loan program to prioritize expedited debt relief for undergraduate 

borrowers. The Budget supports expanding Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term 

programs, and reforming the existing Federal Work-Study program to support workforce and 

career-oriented training opportunities for low-income undergraduate students. These proposals 

would support Congressional efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act; the Administration 

transmitted a framework for reforming America’s higher education law to Congress in 

December, 20171

. Specific policy proposals in this Budget include:

Expand Pell Grant Eligibility to Short-Term Programs

Students have many educational options in paving their way to a successful career. However, 

students that attend some postsecondary programs are not eligible to receive Federal student 

aid due to time or length requirements. Federal law should facilitate, not impede, students 

exploring and accessing those options. To that end, this Budget proposes to expand Pell Grant 

recipients’ eligibility to include high-quality short-term programs that provide students with a 

credential, certification, or license in an in-demand field, with sufficient guardrails in place to 

balance students’ needs with protecting taxpayers’ interests. This proposal would help lowincome or out-of-work individuals access training programs that can equip them with skills to 

secure well-paying jobs in high-demand fields more quickly than traditional 2-year or 4-year 

degree programs. 

Reform Campus-Based Aid Programs

Most of the roughly 6,000 institutions of postsecondary education that participate in the Federal 

Pell Grant and/or Federal Student Loan programs also participate in one or more of the Federal

Campus-Based Aid programs. Consistent with the President’s call to bolster effective workforce 

development programs, this Budget proposes to dramatically reform the Federal Work-Study 

program to support workforce and career-oriented training opportunities for low-income 

undergraduate students, not just subsidized employment as a means of financial aid. The 

Budget proposes to reform the allocation formula in order to focus scarce funds on schools 

based in part on enrollment of Pell recipients. Schools could fund individual undergraduate 

 1 https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/media/Higher%20Education%20Principles.pdf
29

students through subsidized employment, paid internships, or other designs provided the 

placements were career or academically relevant. The President’s 2019 Budget also proposes 

to eliminate funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, 

which is largely duplicative of the Pell Grant program and does not deliver need-based aid in the 

most targeted method.

Simplify Student Loan Repayment and Student Loan Programs

In recent years, income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which offer borrowers the option of 

making affordable monthly payments based on factors such as income and family size, have 

grown in popularity. However, choosing and enrolling in the right repayment plan is overly 

complicated by the numerous repayment plans authorized and required by law to be offered to 

borrowers.

The 2019 Budget proposes to greatly simplify student loan repayment by consolidating five IDR 

plans into a single plan. The single IDR plan would set a borrower’s monthly payment at 

12.5 percent of discretionary income, while eliminating the standard repayment cap to ensure 

that high-income, high-balance borrowers make payments commensurate with their income. 

Married borrowers who file separately would have their payments determined based on both 

their and their spouse’s income. For borrowers with undergraduate student debt only, any 

balance remaining after 15 years of repayment would be forgiven. For borrowers with any 

graduate debt, any balance remaining after 30 years of repayment would be forgiven. To further 

improve the implementation and effectiveness of IDR, the Budget proposes auto-enrolling 

severely delinquent borrowers and instituting a process for borrowers to consent to share 

income data for multiple years. To facilitate these program improvements, and to reduce 

improper payments, the Budget proposes to streamline the Department of Education’s ability to 

verify applicants’ income data held by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

While retaining teacher loan forgiveness programs in order to incentivize more high-quality 

teachers to teach in high-need schools and subjects, the Budget proposes eliminating inefficient 

subsidies to help put the Nation on a more sustainable fiscal path and prioritize expedited debt 

relief for undergraduate borrowers. These proposals include eliminating Public Service Loan 

Forgiveness, Subsidized Stafford loans, and the payment of Account Maintenance Fees to 

guaranty agencies. As a result of these proposals, all new undergraduate student loans would 

be unsubsidized. These proposals would also help simplify the student loan programs.

All policies for student loans would apply to loans originated on or after July 1, 2019, with an 

exception for students who borrowed their first loans prior to July 1, 2019, and who are 

borrowing to complete their current course of study. These policies together would save 

approximately $203 billion over 10 years.

Higher Education Accountability

Investing in higher education generally provides strong value for students and taxpayers. 

However, some institutions consistently fail to deliver a quality education that enables students 

to successfully repay Federal student loans—leaving borrowers and taxpayers holding the bill. A 

better system would require postsecondary institutions accepting taxpayer funds to share a 

portion of the financial risk associated with student loans, in consideration of the actual loan 

repayment rate to ensure that the substantial taxpayer investment in higher education continues 

to provide strong value for students and the economy. The Administration plans to work with the 

Congress to address these issues.
30

Student Aid Summary Tables

Budget Authority 

(dollars in millions)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Pell Grants

Pell Grants: Discretionary funding ............................ .... $22,475.4 $22,322.7 $22,475.4

Pell Grants Mandatory funding1.......................................... 7,000.4 7,359.0 7,486.0

Subtotal, Pell Grants ................................... 29,475.8 29,681.7 29,961.4 

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity 

Grants ............................................................... 733.1 728.2 0.0

Federal Work-Study .............................................. 989.7 983.0 200.0

TEACH Grants2 ..................................................... 153.3 74.9 39.9

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants3 ................... 0.4 0.5 0.0

Federal Family Education Loans4 .......................... 10,785.8 2,309.7 -655.5

Federal Direct Loans5............................................. 27,251.3 -14,976.7 -8,534.7

Total ........................................................ 69,389.4 18,801.3 21,011.1

1 Amounts appropriated for Pell Grants for 2017, 2018, and 2019 include mandatory funding provided in the Higher 

Education Act (HEA), as amended, to fund both the base maximum award and add-on award. 

2 For budget and financial management purposes, this program is operated as a credit program under the Federal 

Credit Reform Act of 1990. Budget authority reflects the estimated net present value of future Federal 

non-administrative costs for awards made in a given fiscal year. The 2017 amount includes a net upward reestimate 

of $138.4 million due primarily to updated data, which indicate more students will complete their service requirements 

than previously assumed (resulting in fewer grants being converted to loans). The 2018 amount includes a net 

upward re-estimate of $44.8 million. The amount for 2019 reflects new loan subsidy.

3 The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG) program is displayed as part of the Pell Grant program in 2019, 

reflecting Budget policy to move IASG into the Pell Grant program. In 2019, projected costs for this award are

projected to be $566,319.

4 Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) budget authority does not include the Liquidating account. The FFEL 

reestimates include the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA) reestimates. The 2017 amount 

includes a net upward reestimate of $10.8 billion primarily related to a $3.5 billion upward change due to updated 

collection rate assumptions. The 2018 amount includes a net upward reestimate of $2.3 billion. The 2019 amount 

reflects a modification savings due to the policy proposal to eliminate Account Maintenance Fees paid to guaranty 

agencies. The reestimates for 2018 reflect the impact of changes on an outstanding portfolio of $273 billion, 

accounting for 0.8 percent of the total outstanding portfolio.

5 The 2017 amount includes a net upward reestimate of $28.4 billion, primarily related to a $14.6 billion upward 

change due to revised collection rate assumptions and an $8.1 billion upward change due to increased participation 

in income-driven repayment plans. Model assumptions affecting the 2017 cohort were also updated. These technical 

assumptions were not updated in the 2017 Budget due to the requirement in the Federal Credit Reform Act that 

estimates be based on current assumptions, as defined in section 250(c)(9) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

Deficit Control Act of 1985. The 2018 amount includes a net downward reestimate of $11.5 billion, due primarily to 

updated discount rates (i.e., the collection of interest rates used to calculate the present value of cash flows), 

increased participation in Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, and technical changes to how loans in IDR plans 

are modeled. The 2018 amount reflects a modification cost of $60.8 million to forgive accrued interest on borrower 

defense claims that have been denied and pending for more than one year. The reestimates reflect the impact of 

changes on an outstanding Direct Loan portfolio of $999 billion. The Direct Loan net reestimate for 2018 accounts for 

1.2 percent of the total outstanding portfolio.
31

Aid Available to Students

(dollars in millions)

2017

2018

Annualized CR 

2019

Request

Pell Grants $29,031.2 $29,621.0 $30,173.8

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity 

Grants ................................................................... 992.9 986.1 0.0

Federal Work-Study ................................................ 1,096.1 1,088.6 221.5

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants ...................... 0.5 0.5 0.0

New Student Loans:

New Student Loans: Federal Direct Loans ........................................... 93,812.7 96,674.6 99,013.8

New Student Loans: Perkins Loans ..................................................... 742.5 0.0 0.0

TEACH Grants ........................................................ 91.0 92.0 98.8

Subtotal, Student Loans ................................... 94,646.11 96,766.61 99,112.61

Total ............................................................ 125,766.72 128,462.92 129,507.92

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.

1 Consolidation Loans for existing borrowers will total $48.8 billion in 2017; $50.3 billion in 2018; and $51.8 billion in 

2019.

2 Shows total aid generated by Department programs, including Perkins Loan capital from institutional revolving 

funds, and institutional matching funds.

Number of Student Aid Awards

(in thousands) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Pell Grants ............................................................... 7,168.0 7,399.0 7,632.0

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants........ 1,530.2 1,519.5 0.0

Work-Study .............................................................. 634.9 630.7 133.1

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants ....................... 0.1 0.1 0.0

New Student Loans:1

New Student Loans: Federal Direct Loans ........................................... 15,743.8 15,899.0 15,012.8

New Student Loans: Perkins Loans ..................................................... 337.7 0.0 0.0

TEACH Grants ........................................................ 33.6 33.9 34.2

Total awards ............................................... 25,448.3 25,482.2 22,812.0

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.

1 Excludes Consolidation Loans. Number of Consolidation Loans will total 856,000 in 2017; 872,000 in 2018; and 

885,000 in 2019.

Number of Postsecondary Students Aided by Department Programs

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Unduplicated Count (in thousands) ..................... 11,163 11,336 11,448
32

Federal Pell Grant Program

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions

BA i n millions: Discretionary budget authority .......................... $22,475.4 $22,322.7 $22,475.4

BA i n millions: Mandatory budget authority .............................. 5,680.4 5,977.0 6,103.0

BA i n millions: Definite mandatory funding............................... 1,320.0 1,382.0 1,383.0

BA i n millions: Total 29,475.8 29,681.7 29,961.4

Program costs (dollars in millions)....................... $29,067.0 $29,658.0 $30,212.0

Aid available (dollars in millions).......................... $29,031.2 $29,621.0 $30,173.8

Recipients (in thousands)..................................... 7,168 7,399 7,632

Maximum grant (in whole dollars)

Maxi mum grant Discretionary portion......................................... $4,860 $4,860 $4,860

Maxi mum grant Mandatory add-on............................................. 1,060 1,060 1,060

Maxi mum grant Total 5,920 5,920 5,920

Average grant (in whole dollars) .......................... $4,050 $4,003 $3,954

The Federal Pell Grant program helps ensure financial access to postsecondary education by 

providing grant aid to low-income undergraduate students. The program is the largest 

need-based postsecondary student grant program, with individual awards based on the financial 

circumstances of students and their families. The 2019 discretionary request of $22.5 billion for 

Pell Grants would continue to make college more affordable for an estimated 7.6 million 

students by fully funding the maximum award of $5,920.

In addition, the Budget proposes to expand Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality short-term 

programs that provide students with a credential, certification, or license in an in-demand field, 

with sufficient guardrails in place to balance students’ needs with protecting taxpayers’ interests. 

Campus-Based Aid Programs

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study are 

called the “campus-based aid” programs because they make grants directly to participating 

institutions, which have considerable flexibility to package awards based on the needs of their 

students. To simplify the complex array of student aid programs, the 2019 Budget would 

eliminate funding for the FSEOG program. The Budget would also dramatically reform the 

Federal Work-Study program to use the funding to support workforce and career-oriented 

training opportunities for low-income undergraduate students.
33

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions ................................................... $733.1 $728.2 0

Aid available (dollars in millions) ..................... $992.9 $986.1 0

Recipients (in thousands) ................................ 1,530 1,519 0

Average award (in whole dollars)..................... $649 $649 0

This program provides grant assistance of up to $4,000 per academic year to undergraduate 

students with demonstrated financial need. Program funds are allocated to institutions according 

to a statutory formula and require a 25 percent institutional match. Awards to students are 

determined at the discretion of institutional financial aid administrators, although schools are 

required to give priority to Pell Grant recipients and students with the lowest expected family 

contributions. The request would eliminate this program which is largely duplicative of the Pell 

Grant program and does not deliver need-based aid in the most targeted way.

Federal Work-Study

program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions ....................................................... $989.7 $983.0 $200.0

Aid available (dollars in millions) ......................... $1,096.1 $1,088.6 $221.5

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... 635 631 133

Average award (in whole dollars)......................... $1,726 $1,726 $1,664

The Federal Work-Study program provides grants to participating institutions to pay up to 

75 percent of the wages of eligible undergraduate and graduate students working part-time to 

help pay their college costs. The school or another eligible employer provides the balance of the 

student’s wages. The Budget proposes to reduce Federal Work-Study to $200 million—a level 

which, when combined with institutional matching funds, would make available more than $220 

million to an estimated 133,000 recipients. Funds are allocated to institutions according to a 

statutory formula and individual award amounts are determined at the discretion of institutional 

financial aid administrators. The request would dramatically reform the Federal Work-Study 

program to allocate funding to institutions enrolling high numbers of Pell Grant recipients that 

would support workforce and career-oriented training opportunities for low-income 

undergraduate students. 
34

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants

Program Information

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in thousands .................................................. $401 $463 0

Aid available (dollars in thousands) .................... $455 $490 0

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... (1) (1) 0

Average award (in whole dollars)......................... $5,0162 $5,0152 0

1 Number of recipients estimated to be less than 500.

2 Average award amounts for 2017 and 2018 reflect impact of sequestration. 

The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG) program provides non-need-based grants to 

students whose parent or guardian was a member of the Armed Forces who died in Iraq or 

Afghanistan as a result of performing military service after September 11, 2001. Of those 

dependents of deceased service men and women, students who fall below the financial criteria 

for the Pell Grant program are eligible for a maximum Pell Grant and those who do not are 

eligible to receive a Service Grant. Additionally, students must be 24 years old or younger; or, if 

older than 24, must have been enrolled in an institution of higher education at the time of the 

parent or guardian’s death. Service Grants are equal to the maximum Pell Grant for a given 

award year, which is $5,920 for the 2018–2019 award year. 

As a result of sequestration, the current IASG program has, since award year 2012-2013, 

annually reduced the maximum grant for which recipients are eligible. The 2019 Budget 

proposes moving the IASG program to the Pell Grant program. This change will help to ensure 

the children of our fallen service members receive a full aid award, exempt from cuts due to 

sequestration.

TEACH Grants

2017Footnote

2018

Annualized CRFootnote

2019

Request

Footnote

BA in millions......................................................... $153.31 $74.91 $39.91

Aid available to students (in millions).................... $91.0 $92.0 $98.8

Recipients (in thousands) ..................................... 33.6 33.9 34.2

Maximum grant (in whole dollars)......................... $4,000 $4,000 $4,000

Average grant (in whole dollars) ........................... $2,705 $2,714 $2,893

1 The 2017 amount includes a net upward reestimate of $138.4 million. The 2018 amount includes a net upward 

reestimate of $44.8 million. The amount for 2019 reflects new loan subsidy. 

The TEACH Grant program awards annual grants of up to $4,000 to eligible undergraduate and 

graduate students who agree to serve, within 8 years of graduation, as full-time teachers in 

mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, special education, or reading at a

high-need school for not less than 4 years. For students who fail to fulfill this service 

requirement, grants are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans with interest accrued 
35

from the date the grants were awarded. The 2017 budget authority amount differs from the 2018 

annualized CR and 2019 levels significantly due to the inclusion of $138.4 million for an upward 

reestimate to reflect updated data, indicating more students will complete their service 

requirements than previously assumed, resulting in fewer grants being converted to loans. The 

Administration projects that 63 percent of students receiving TEACH Grants will have their 

grants converted to loans. 

For budget and financial management purposes, the TEACH program is operated as a loan 

program with 100 percent forgiveness of outstanding principal and interest upon completion of a 

student’s service requirement. Consistent with the requirements of the Credit Reform Act of 

1990, budget authority for this program reflects the estimated net present value of all future 

non-administrative Federal costs associated with awards made in a given fiscal year. 

Federal Family Education Loans and Direct Loans

(BA in millions)

2017Footnote

2018

Annualized CRFootnote

2019

Request

Footnote

Federal Family Education Loans1

Famil y F ederal Educati on Loans: Net modification of existing loans ................. — — $-655.52

Famil y F ederal Educati on Loans: Net reestimate of existing loans.................... 10,785.8 3,4 $2,309.73,4 —

Famil y F ederal Educati on Loans: Total, FFEL program BA.......................... 10,785.8 2,309.7 -655.5

Federal Direct Loans

Federal Direct Loans: New loans subsidies (BA)............................... -1,178.9 3 -3,499.83 -8,534.73

Federal Direct Loans: Net modification of existing loans ................... — 60.82 —

Federal Direct Loans: Net reestimate of existing loans ..................... 28,430.2 4 -11,537.74 —

Federal Direct Loans: Total, new budget authority..................... 27,251.3 -14,976.7 -8,534.7

Total, student loans (BA)................... 38,037.1 -12,667.0 -9,190.2

1 FFEL budget authority does not include the liquidating account. 2 Under Credit Reform, costs or savings related to the impact of enacted policy changes on existing loans are 

reflected in the current year. The 2019 FFEL modification reflects a cost associated with the policy proposal to 

eliminate payment of Account Maintenance Fees to guaranty agencies. The 2018 DL modification reflects a cost 

associated with the administrative action to forgive certain accrued interest on denied borrower defense claims.

3 Total includes amount for Consolidation Loans. 4 Under Credit Reform, the subsidy amounts are reestimated annually in both Direct Loans and FFEL to account for 

changes in long-term projections. Reestimates and modifications reflect the impact of changes on outstanding 

portfolios of $210 billion for FFEL, $63 billion for ECASLA, and $999 billion for Direct Loans. Total reestimates and 

modifications in 2018 account for 0.7 percent of the total outstanding portfolio.
36

New loan volume 

(in millions)

2017

2018

Annualized CRFootnote

2019

Request Footnote

Direct Loans:

Direct Loans: Stafford loans .................................................... $21,542.3 $21,626.7 $17,180.6

Direct Loans: Unsubsidized Stafford loans ............................. 49,815.6 51,134.2 56,833.2

Direct Loans: Parent PLUS loans ........................................... 12,512.8 13,216.7 13,824.2

Direct Loans: Grad PLUS loans .............................................. 9,942.0 10,697.1 11,175.8

Direct Loans: Total 93,812.71 96,674.71 99,013.81

Number of new loans 

(in thousands)

Direct Loans:

Direct Loans: Stafford loans .................................................... 6,181 6,198 4,934

Direct Loans: Unsubsidized Stafford loans ............................. 8,064 8,153 8,487

Direct Loans: Parent PLUS loans ........................................... 933 960 989

Direct Loans: Grad PLUS loans .............................................. 565 588 603

Direct Loans: Total ..................................................... 15,7431 15,8991 15,0131

1 Consolidation Loans for existing borrowers will total $48.8 billion and 856,000 loans in 2017, $50.3 billion and 

872,000 loans in 2018, and $51.8 billion and 885,000 loans in 2019.

The Department of Education operates two major student loan programs—the Federal Family 

Education Loan (FFEL) program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) 

program—but since July 1, 2010, the Department has made new loans only through the Direct 

Loan program. The legacy FFEL program made loans to students and their families through 

private lenders, with loans guaranteed by the Federal Government and administered by State 

and private nonprofit guaranty agencies. To generate savings to help put the Nation on a more 

sustainable fiscal path, the 2019 Budget proposes to eliminate payments of Account 

Maintenance Fees to guaranty agencies. Under the Direct Loan program, the Federal 

Government provides the loan capital and schools disburse loan funds to students. The 

Department carries out its loan origination and servicing functions under Direct Loans through 

private contractors. The Direct Loan program features four types of loans with fixed interest 

rates that are set annually:

• Stafford Loans are subsidized, low-interest loans based on financial need. The Federal 

Government pays the interest while the student is in school and during certain grace and 

deferment periods. The current interest rate for undergraduate loans made in award year 

2017–2018 is 4.45 percent. As of July 1, 2012, only undergraduate students are eligible for 

subsidized Stafford loans.

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loans have a fixed interest rate of 4.45 percent for undergraduate 

borrowers and 6.00 percent for graduate and professional borrowers in award year 

2017-2018. The Federal Government does not pay interest for the student during in-school, 

grace, and deferment periods.
37

• PLUS Loans are available to parents of dependent undergraduate students, and to graduate 

and professional students. The interest rate is 7.00 percent in award year 2017–2018, and 

the Federal Government does not pay interest during in-school, grace, and deferment 

periods.

• Consolidation Loans allow borrowers with multiple student loans who meet certain criteria to 

combine their loans and extend their repayment schedules. The rate for both FFEL and 

Direct Consolidation Loans is based on the weighted average of loans consolidated rounded 

up to the nearest one-eighth of 1 percent. The resulting rate for the consolidated loan is then 

fixed for the life of the loan.
38

E. HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Overview

The Administration’s 2019 request includes $1.1 billion in discretionary funds for Higher 

Education programs aimed at improving student achievement and increasing access to a highquality education for all students.

To foster more and better opportunities in higher education for communities that are often 

underserved, the request provides $742.9 million in discretionary funding and includes 

$255 million in mandatory funding for programs that serve high proportions of minority students. 

Together, these funds provide $355.1 million for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and 

$642.8 million for programs that focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),

consistent with the President's Executive Order on HBCUs, which calls for efforts to strengthen 

the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education and to provide opportunities for 

HBCU participation in Federal programs.

Specifically, the Budget maintains important investments to support improvements in academic 

quality, institutional management and capacity, infrastructure, and student support services for 

MSIs and HBCUs. The Budget requests $383.1 million in discretionary funding for such 

institutions through the HEA Title III Aid for Institutional Development programs and 

$117.5 million in discretionary funding for the HEA Title V Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

programs. The Budget also proposes to streamline grantmaking within these programs by 

consolidating six MSI programs that have similar purposes and redundant activities into a single 

$147.9 million institutional formula grant, providing funds more institutions can count on and 

yielding program management efficiencies. The Strengthening HBCUs, Strengthening 

Historically Black Graduate Institutions, Strengthening Master’s Degree Programs at HBCUs, 

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Science and 

Engineering Improvement programs would continue as separate line items in the budget and 

total $353 million in discretionary funding. The request does not fund the Strengthening 

Institutions program, which is duplicative of other program funding for institutional support 

activities.

The Budget supports activities focused on assisting disadvantaged middle school, high school, 

and veteran students in graduating from high school and enrolling in college prepared to 

succeed, while shifting power from the Federal Government to the States. In particular, the 

request would provide $550 million in fiscal year 2019 for the Federal TRIO programs, 

$393.5 million less than the fiscal year 2018 annualized Continuing Resolution level. Through 

this request, the Administration is also proposing to transition the Federal TRIO Programs from 

a series of competitive grant programs to a State formula program. This proposal would shift 

authority and responsibility from the Federal Government to the States, improve alignment 

between Federal resources and need, and enable the Department to re-allocate limited staff 

resources and expertise from competition-related activities to grant monitoring, performance 

improvement, and program evaluation. The request includes no funds for Gaining Early 

Awareness Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), but many of the activities 

currently supported under GEAR UP can be supported through the Administration’s proposal for 

TRIO – both programs support activities to help low-income and other disadvantaged students 

progress through the academic pipeline from middle school through college. The request would 

maintain funding for current Upward Bound and Talent Search grantees but does not include 
39

funding for the continuations for grantees under the Student Support Services, McNair 

Postbaccalaureate Achievement or Educational Opportunity Centers programs. There is limited 

evidence of effectiveness for these programs and the Administration believes that the services 

provided through these programs can be supported with other resources, including through 

State and institutional funding. 

The Budget also provides $11.8 million for model comprehensive transition programs through 

the Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities program and 

$15.1 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program. 

The Administration’s request for fiscal year 2019 eliminates funding for a number of Higher 

Education Programs that duplicate other programs, are more appropriately supported with 

State, local, institutional, or private funds, are outside of the Department’s core mission, or have 

not shown evidence of effectiveness. These programs include the Strengthening Institutions 

Program, International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs, GEAR UP, 

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, and Teacher Quality Partnership.
40

Aid for Institutional Development

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Title III/V Institutional Formula Grant Proposal........ — — $30.4

Strengthening Institutional Program (SIP)............... $86.5 $86.0 —

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges 

and Universities (TCCUs)..................................... 27.6 27.5 27.6

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges

and Universities (mandatory TCCUs)................... 27.91 28.01 30.01

Strengthening Alaska Native and Native

Hawaiian-serving Institutions (ANNHs) ................ 13.8 13.7 —

Strengthening Alaska Native and Native

Hawaiian-serving Institutions (mandatory 

ANNHs).................................................................... 14.01 14.01 15.01

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges

and Universities (HBCUs)..................................... 244.7 243.0 244.7

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges

and Universities (mandatory HBCUs) .................. 79.11 79.41 85.01

Strengthening Historically Black Graduate

Institutions (HBGIs) .............................................. 63.3 62.9 63.3

Strengthening HBCU Master’s Program.................. 7.5 7.4 7.5

Strengthening Predominantly Black

Institutions (PBIs) ................................................. 9.9 9.9 —

Strengthening Predominantly Black

Institutions (mandatory PBIs) ............................... 14.01 14.01 15.01

Strengthening Asian American- and Native

American Pacific Islander-serving

Institutions (AANAPISIs)....................................... 3.3 3.3 —

Strengthening Asian American- and Native

American Pacific Islander-serving

Institutions (mandatory AANAPISIs) .................... 4.71 4.71 5.01

Strengthening Native American-serving

nontribal institutions (NASNTIs) ........................... 3.3 3.3 —

Strengthening Native American-serving

nontribal institutions (mandatory NASNTIs) ......... 4.71 4.71 5.01

Minority Science and Engineering

Improvement (MSEIP).......................................... 9.6 9.6 9.6

Total................................................................. 614.2 611.3 507.7

Discretionary............................................... 469.9 466.5 352.7

Mandatory................................................... 144.31 144.81 155.01

1 Mandatory appropriations are provided under Section 371 of the HEA, as amended by P.L. 111-152. These 

amounts include sequester reductions of 6.9 percent in 2017 and 6.6 percent in 2018 that went into effect 

October 1, 2016, and October 1, 2017, respectively, pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).
41

The request for Aid for Institutional Development (Title III) maintains support for institutions that 

serve large percentages of minority and low-income students. Title III funding, which is awarded 

both competitively and by a formula that directs aid to specified institutions, helps provide equal 

educational opportunity and strong academic programs for these students and enhances the 

financial stability of the institutions that serve them. Funds may be used to plan, develop, and 

implement activities that support student services, interventions that promote degree 

completion, and faculty development; administrative management; development and 

improvement of academic programs; joint use of libraries and laboratories; construction, 

maintenance, and renovation of instructional facilities; and endowment funds. 

The Administration is proposing a new HEA Title III and V institutional formula authority that 

would consolidate $30.4 million from the current Aid for Institutional Development (Title III)

program authority and $117.5 million from the Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Title V)

program authority. The proposed consolidation reflects the Administration’s emphasis on 

improving and simplifying the grant allocation process by eliminating and/or reducing a number 

of programs with similar purposes and redundant activities, improving alignment between 

Federal resources and need, and enabling the Department to re-allocate limited staff resources 

and expertise from competition-related activities to grant monitoring and performance 

improvement. While this new proposal represents a departure from the current structure of the 

Title III and V programs, the Administration believes it would enable the Department to 

administer these programs in a more efficient and equitable way, without dramatically impacting 

grantees. The funds requested would continue to provide critical support that institutions of 

higher education use to improve their academic programs, institutional capacity, and student 

support services. 

The proposal envisions an initial phase-in period during which time Department would honor 

and fully fund continuation awards in the following programs:

• Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions supports 

institutions with undergraduate enrollments that are at least 20 percent Alaska Native 

and at least 10 percent Native Hawaiian students, respectively. The discretionary 

request would support 15 continuation awards for these institutions, which typically are 

located in remote areas not served by other institutions. The Department also will use 

$15 million in fiscal year 2019 mandatory funds to support 15 continuation grants.

• Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) makes awards to primarily urban 

and rural 2-year colleges that have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at 

least 40 percent African-American and that serve at least 50 percent low-income or firstgeneration college students. The request would support approximately 11 continuation 

awards. In addition, $15 million in mandatory funding is available in 2019 for continuation 

awards to 24 grantees.

• Strengthening Asian American- and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions

supports institutions with undergraduate enrollments that are at least 10 percent Asian 

American and Native American Pacific Islander. The 2019 request would support 

11 continuation awards for institutions serving this diverse population. In addition, 

mandatory funding of $5 million is available in 2019 to support 14 continuation awards 

for these institutions.
42

• Strengthening Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions supports institutions that 

are not designated as TCCUs, yet enroll at least 10 percent Native American students 

and serve at least 50 percent low-income students. The discretionary request would 

support 7 continuation awards and an additional $5 million in mandatory funds would 

support 13 continuation awards.

In addition, for fiscal year 2019, the Administration requests a total of $352.7 million for the 

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) program, Strengthening 

Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) program, Master’s Degree Programs at HBCUs, 

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Science and 

Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP).

• Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) supports any 

accredited, legally authorized HBCU that was established prior to 1964 and which 

retains a principal mission of educating African-Americans. Fiscal year 2019 funding 

would support 98 HBCUs. In 2019, $85 million in mandatory funding is available for 

HBCUs.

• Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions supports 24 postgraduate 

institutions with schools of law, medical schools, or other graduate programs.

• Strengthening HBCU Master’s Program supports 18 HBCUs, specified in Section 723 of 

the HEA, determined to be making a substantial contribution to graduate education 

opportunities for Black Americans at the master’s level in mathematics, engineering, the 

physical or natural sciences, computer science, information technology, nursing, allied 

health, or other scientific disciplines.

• Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) supports 35 Tribal 

Colleges and Universities located primarily in remote areas not served by other 

postsecondary education institutions. These institutions offer a broad range of degree 

and vocational certificate programs to students for whom these educational opportunities 

would otherwise be geographically and culturally inaccessible. In addition, $30 million in 

mandatory funds is available under section 371 of the HEA for TCCUs in fiscal year 

2019.

• The Minority Science and Engineering Improvement program would fund approximately 

15 new grants and 25 continuation grants that support improvement in science and 

engineering education at predominantly minority institutions and increase the 

participation of underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly minority women, in 

scientific and technological careers.
43

Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions

(BA in millions)

programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Title III/V Institutional Formula Grant Proposal 

(proposed) — — +$117,466

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

(discretionary) ......................................................... $107.8 $107.1 —

Mandatory Developing HSI STEM 

 and Articulation Programs.................................... 93.11 93.41 100.01

Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for 

Hispanic Americans (discretionary) ..................... 9.7 9.6 —

Total ................................................................ 210.6 210.1 217.2

 Discretionary ............................................ 117.5 116.7 117.5

 Mandatory ................................................ 93.11 93.41 100.01

1 Mandatory appropriations are provided under Section 371 of the HEA, as amended by P.L. 111-152. These 

amounts include sequester reductions of 6.9 percent in 2017 and 6.6 percent in 2018 that went into effect 

October 1, 2016, and October 1, 2017, respectively, pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).

For fiscal year 2019, the Administration is proposing changes in how funds are administered to 

eligible institutions of higher education defined as HSIs. Currently, the Higher Education Act 

authorizes numerous HEA Title III and Title V programs that have similar purposes and 

redundant activities; each program conducts its own competition for new awards. Rather than 

investing significant Department staff time and resources into running multiple competitions, the 

Administration’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposes to consolidate six existing Title III/V 

programs, including Developing HSIs and Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for 

Hispanic Americans (PPOHA), into a single new authority that would continue to protect funding 

for programs that specifically serve large numbers of minority students. The proposed 

consolidation reflects the Administration’s emphasis on improving and simplifying the grant 

allocation process by eliminating and reducing a number of programs with similar purposes and 

redundant activities, improving alignment between Federal resources and need, and enabling 

the Department to re-allocate limited staff resources and expertise from competition-related 

activities to grant monitoring and performance improvement. Under this proposal, the transition 

to a formula-based allocation would be phased in – the Department would continue to support 

continuation awards scheduled for fiscal year 2019. 

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) program funds competitive grants to 

expand and enhance the academic quality, institutional management, fiscal stability, and selfsufficiency of colleges and universities that enroll large percentages of Hispanic students. In 

fiscal year 2019, discretionary funding would support approximately 161 continuation awards. In 

addition, mandatory funds provided under section 371 of the HEA would support approximately 

91 continuation awards under the HSI Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

(STEM) and Articulation program.
44

The Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans program provides 

funds to eligible HSIs that offer a postbaccalaureate certificate or postbaccalaureate degreegranting program. The program is designed to help Hispanic Americans gain entry into and 

succeed in graduate study, a level of education in which they are underrepresented. This 

program does not have continuation costs in fiscal year 2019. Consequently, these funds would 

be used to support the Administration’s institutional formula proposal.

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $8.3 $8.2 $8.3

The request would support awards to tribally controlled postsecondary career and technical 

institutions that meet the program’s eligibility requirements to fund instructional and student 

support services under a reauthorized Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

Special Programs for Migrant Students

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $44.6 $44.3 $44.6

The Special Programs for Migrant Students includes the High School Equivalency Program 

(HEP), which funds competitively selected projects to help low-income migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers earn high school diplomas or equivalency certificates, and the College Assistance 

Migrant Program (CAMP), which makes competitive grants to provide stipends and special 

services, such as tutoring and counseling, to migrant students who are in their first year of 

college. HEP and CAMP programs focus on finding and assisting migrant youth who have not 

been able—due to limited or inconsistent educational opportunity—to complete high school or 

go on to postsecondary education. Funds would support services to approximately 

5,700 participants under HEP projects and 2,500 participants under CAMP projects, as well as 

outreach, technical assistance, and professional development activities.
45

Federal TRIO Programs

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

Talent Search....................................................... $151.8 $151.8 $151.8

Upward Bound ..................................................... 312.1 311.8 316.3

Veterans Upward Bound...................................... 18.2 17.6 17.6

Upward Bound Math-Science .............................. 58.3 57.9 57.9

Educational Opportunity Centers ......................... 50.7 49.7 0

Student Support Services .................................... 304.4 303.6 0

McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement............ 45.7 45.9 0

Staff Training........................................................ 2.8 2.5 2.5

Evaluation .......................................................... 2.7 0.7 2.0

Administration/Peer Review................................. 3.6 1.9 1.8 

Total............................................................... 950.0 943.5 550.0

The Federal TRIO programs are among the Department’s largest investments aimed at getting 

more students prepared for, into, and through postsecondary education. The request would

transition the Federal TRIO Programs from a series of competitive grant programs to a single 

State formula program. This proposal would shift authority and responsibility from the Federal 

Government to the States, improve alignment between Federal resources and need, and enable 

the Department to re-allocate limited staff resources from competition-related activities to grant 

monitoring, performance improvement, and program evaluation. Under this transition, the 

request maintains continuations for current grantees under the existing TRIO precollege 

programs that are focused on assisting disadvantaged middle school, high school, and veteran 

students graduate high school and enroll in college prepared to succeed. The request does not 

include funding for continuations for current grantees under the Student Support Services, 

McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement or Educational Opportunity Centers programs. There is 

limited evidence of effectiveness for these programs and the Administration believes that the 

services provided through these programs can be supported with other resources, including 

through State and institutional funding. In addition, many of the activities currently supported 

under GEAR UP can be supported through the Administration’s proposal for TRIO – both 

programs support activities to help low-income and other disadvantaged students progress 

through the academic pipeline from middle school through college. 

Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher 

Education (TPSID)

program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $11.8 $11.7 $11.8

The Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education 

program supports competitive grants awarded to institutions of higher education or consortia of 

such institutions to create or expand high-quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition and 
46

postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The 2019 request would 

support 25 continuation awards, as well as a Coordinating Center that provides technical 

assistance to institutions with transition programs.

Child Care Access Means Parents in School

program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $15.1 $15.0 $15.1

The Administration’s 2019 request includes $15.1 million for the Child Care Access Means 

Parents in School program. This competitive grant program supports the participation of lowincome parents in postsecondary education through campus-based childcare services. Grants 

made to institutions of higher education must be used to supplement childcare services or start 

a new program, not to supplant funds for current childcare services. The program gives priority 

to institutions that leverage local or institutional resources and employ a sliding fee scale. The 

2019 request would fund 100 existing projects.

Howard University

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

General Support................................................... $194.5 $193.2 $194.5

Howard University Hospital.................................. 27.3 27.1 27.3

Total............................................................... 221.8 220.3 221.8

Howard University is a congressionally chartered HBCU that plays an important role in providing 

disadvantaged individuals, particularly Blacks or African-Americans, with access to a 

high -quality postsecondary education. The 2019 request would provide support for Howard 

University’s academic and research programs, serving undergraduate, graduate, and 

professional students and the Howard University Hospital. Federal support for the Hospital 

enables provision of medical, dental, and other health-related education, research, and training 

opportunities for graduate and professional students. The request includes $3.4 million for 

Howard University’s endowment, which is designed to assist the University in increasing its 

financial strength and independence.
47

Academic Facilities

(BA in millions)

Programs

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

HBCU Capital Financing Program ....................... $20.4 $20.3 $20.5

CHAFL Federal Administration ............................ 0.4 0.4 0.4

These programs support the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of academic facilities 

at institutions of higher education. The 2019 request for the HBCU Capital Financing Program 

would support the management and servicing of loan guarantees on previously issued loans, 

and includes $20 million in loan subsidy that would allow the program to guarantee $580 million 

in new loans in 2019. Funds also would be used to continue technical assistance services to 

help HBCUs increase their fiscal stability and improve their access to capital markets. The 

Administration is seeking legislative authority to raise the limits on total loan authority and the 

sub-limits on authority for loans to public and private HBCUs.

Funding for College Housing Administration Facilities Loans (CHAFL) Federal Administration is 

used solely to manage and service existing portfolios of facilities loans and grants made in prior 

years.
48

F. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Overview

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports sustained programs of research, statistics, 

and evaluation to study and provide solutions to the challenges faced by schools, teachers, and 

learners. Investment in research, statistics, and evaluation activities is critical in order to identify 

effective instructional and program practices, track student achievement, and measure the 

impact of educational reform. Through its four centers—the National Center for Education 

Research, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Center for Education 

Evaluation and Regional Assistance, and the National Center for Special Education Research—

IES ensures the Federal investment in education research, statistics, and evaluation is of high 

quality and relevant to the needs of educators and policymakers. The President’s fiscal year

2019 Budget requests $521.6 million for IES activities, $80 million less than the 2018 

annualized Continuing Resolution level. The request includes no funds for the Regional 

Education Laboratories and the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems.

Research, Development, and Dissemination

Program budget authority (BA) 2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.......................................................... $187.5 $186.2 $187.5

The request supports critical investments in education research, development, dissemination, 

and evaluation that provide parents, teachers, schools, and policymakers with evidence-based 

information on effective educational practices. The request would enable IES to sustain its 

efforts to produce and support the use of evidence-based practices in the field and in the 

Department, fund new research awards, and continue disseminating information about what 

works in education to States and localities. 

Statistics

program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.......................................................... $109.5 $108.8 $112.5

The Department’s Statistics program—operated primarily through competitively awarded 

contracts administered by National Center for Education Statistics—provides general statistics 

about trends in education, collects data to monitor reform and measure educational progress, 

and informs the IES research agenda. The 2019 request would support the collection, analysis, 

and dissemination of education-related statistics in response to both legislative requirements 
49

and to the particular needs of data providers, data users, and educational researchers. The 

request also includes $3 million to support the Privacy Technical Assistance Center, which 

serves as a valuable resource center to State and local educational agencies, the 

postsecondary community, and other parties engaged in building and using education data 

systems on issues related to privacy, security, and confidentiality of student records. 

Assessment

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.......................................................... $156.7 $155.7 $156.7

The request would fund the ongoing National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and 

the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). NAEP measures and reports on the status 

of and trends in student learning over time on a subject-by-subject basis and makes objective 

information on student performance available to policymakers, educators, parents, and the 

public. As the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what American 

students know and can do, NAEP has become a key measure of our Nation’s educational 

performance. The request would support NAGB in formulating policy guidelines for NAEP and 

fund the sampling and data collection; pilot testing; item development; and scoring, analysis, 

and reporting of NAEP assessments.

Research in Special Education

program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions.......................................................... $54.0 $53.6 $54.0

Funds support a comprehensive program of special education research designed to expand the 

knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities; answer 

questions about how children with disabilities develop and learn; and learn how best to support 

their development through improved teaching and special education and related services. 

Continued investment in such long-term programs of research is necessary to accumulate 

empirical knowledge and develop evidence-based practices and policies that will result in 

improved academic achievement, social and emotional well-being, behavior, and physical 

development for children with disabilities.
50

Special Education Studies and Evaluations

Program budget authority (BA)

2017

2018

Annualized CR

2019

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $10.8 $10.7 $10.8

This program supports studies to assess the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA) and the effectiveness of State and local efforts to provide special 

education and early intervention programs and services to infants, toddlers, and children with 

disabilities. The request would support an evaluation of preschool special education practices, a 

study of State and local implementation of IDEA, a study of post-high school outcomes for youth 

with disabilities, the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study, and special education reports from the 

What Works Clearinghouse.
51

III. PROGRAMS PROPOSED FOR ELIMINATION

The 2019 request supports the Administration’s commitment to eliminating funding for programs 

that have achieved their original purpose, duplicate other programs, are narrowly focused, or 

are unable to demonstrate effectiveness. The fiscal year 2019 Budget eliminates 29 programs, 

for an annual savings of $5.9 billion from the FY 2017 appropriation. The table shown below is 

followed by a brief summary of each program, in alphabetical order, that would be eliminated 

under the 2019 request.

(2017 BA in millions)

21st Century Community Learning Centers......................................................... $1,191.7

Alaska Native Education .................................................................................... 32.5

American History and Civics Education .............................................................. 3.5

Arts in Education ................................................................................................. 27.0

Comprehensive Centers ..................................................................................... 50.0

Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants ................................................... 190.0

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants ..................................... 733.1

Full-Service Community Schools ........................................................................ 10.0

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs ........... 339.8

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) ............................... 28.0

Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property......................................................... 68.8

Innovative Approaches to Literacy...................................................................... 27.0

International Education and Foreign Language Studies Domestic Programs.... 65.1

International Education and Foreign Language Studies Overseas Programs.... 7.1

Javits Gifted and Talented Education ................................................................. 12.0

Native Hawaiian Education ................................................................................. 33.4

Promise Neighborhoods...................................................................................... 73.3

Ready to Learn Programming............................................................................. 25.7

Regional Educational Laboratories ..................................................................... 54.4

School Leader Recruitment and Support ........................................................... 14.5

Special Olympics Education Programs............................................................... 12.6

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems ................................................................ 32.3

Strengthening Institutions.................................................................................... 86.5

Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants ........................................... 400.0

Supported Employment State Grants ................................................................. 27.5

Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) ........................................ 65.0

Supporting Effective Instruction States Grants ................................................... 2,055.8

Teacher Quality Partnerships.............................................................................. 43.1

Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants .................................................... 200.0

Total ....................................................................................................... 5,909.7
52

(2017 BA in millions)

21st Century Community Learning Centers.......................................................... $1,191.7

This program makes formula grants to States, which awards local subgrants to support beforeschool, after-school, and summer school programs that provide safe spaces and opportunities 

for academic enrichment for nearly 2 million students at roughly 11,500 centers. This program 

lacks strong evidence of meeting its objectives, such as improving student achievement, in part 

because just two-fifths of program participants attend on a regular basis (defined as 30 days per 

school year, or roughly 1 day a week).

Alaska Native Education .......................................................................................... $32.5

This program awards competitive grants to eligible applicants to improve the educational 

outcomes of Alaska Natives. The program largely duplicates services that may be provided 

through other Federal elementary and secondary programs, as well as State, local, and private 

funds.

American History and Civics Education...................................................................... $3.5

This program supports efforts to improve the quality of American history and civics education 

through grants for intensive workshops for teachers and students and for evidence-based 

instructional methods and professional development programs. The program has limited impact, 

with American History and Civics Academies grants reaching only a small number of teachers 

and students (each academy may serve no more than 300 teachers or students annually). 

Arts in Education...................................................................................................... $27.0

This program supports arts education projects and programs for children and youth, with special 

emphasis on serving students from low-income families and students with disabilities. Arts in 

Education has limited impact and funds activities that are more appropriately supported with 

other Federal, State, local, and private funds.

Comprehensive Centers .......................................................................................... $50.0

The program supports dissemination and technical assistance activities designed to improve the 

implementation of ESEA programs and help teachers and administrators use effective teaching 

methods and assessment tools. Such activities can be paid for directly by States and school 

districts, as part of their ESEA implementation plans, through programs such as Title I Grants to

LEAs and Title I funds reserved for school improvement.

Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants ....................................................... $190.0

This program awards competitive grants to States, which make competitive subgrants to local 

entities to improve literacy instruction from birth through grade 12. The program has limited 

impact (only 11 State grants in the most recent cohort) and duplicates activities that may be 

supported with other Federal, State, local, and private funds. In particular, the $15.5 billion Title I 

Grants to LEAs program provides funding to 14,000 school districts in all 52 States that may be 

used for evidence-based reading instruction.
53

(2017 BA in millions)

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.......................................... $733.1

This program allocates money to institutions using a statutory formula; the institutions then use 

the money to award need-based aid to students. This program duplicates the Pell Grant 

program and its allocation formula is not targeted efficiently, basing most of the allocation on 

prior allocation levels.

Full-Service Community Schools.............................................................................. $10.0

This program supports projects that involve a school as the locus for the provision of 

comprehensive academic, social, and health services that respond to the needs of students, 

their families, and community members. The program has limited impact and largely duplicates 

activities that are more appropriately supported through other Federal, State, local, and private 

funds.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs................. $339.8

This program provides funds to States and Partnerships for early college preparation and 

awareness activities to help low-income elementary and secondary school students prepare to 

pursue postsecondary education. Many of the activities supported under GEAR UP can be 

supported through the Administration’s request for a new State formula authority under the 

Federal TRIO Programs, and similar activities can also be supported through ESEA Title I 

Grants to States.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN).................................... $28.0

GAANN provides fellowships, through competitive grants to postsecondary institutions, to 

graduate students with superior ability and high financial need studying in areas of national 

need. This program supports activities that are more appropriately supported through other 

Federal, State, local, and private funds.

Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property............................................................... $68.8

This authority provides payments to local educational agencies without regard to the presence 

of federally connected children and thus does not necessarily support the provision of 

educational services for federally connected children. Most districts that receive these payments 

have been funded for 40 years or more—sufficient time to adjust to the removal of Federal 

property from their tax rolls.

Innovative Approaches to Literacy ........................................................................... $27.0

This program makes competitive grants to improve literacy through support of school libraries, 

professional development for school librarians, and the provision of high-quality books to 

children and adolescents in low-income communities. School districts and schools that choose 

to focus on libraries and the provision of free books as part of their early literacy strategies may 

use Title I funds for this purpose.
54

(2017 BA in millions)

International Education and Foreign Language Studies Domestic Programs ........... $65.1

This program is designed to strengthen the capability and performance of American education 

in foreign languages and in international studies. This program supports activities that are better 

advanced by other agencies whose primary mission is national security.

International Education and Foreign Language Studies Overseas Programs............. $7.1

This program improves secondary and postsecondary teaching and research concerning other 

cultures and languages, training of specialists, and the American public's general understanding 

of the peoples of other countries. This program supports activities that are better advanced by 

other agencies whose primary mission is national security.

Javits Gifted and Talented Education....................................................................... $12.0

This program supports research and other activities to build local capacity to identify gifted and 

talented students and meet their special educational needs. Limited Federal education dollars 

should be focused on our most disadvantaged children, and programs for gifted and talented 

students can be supported with State, local, and private funds.

Native Hawaiian Education ...................................................................................... $33.4

This program supports supplemental education services for a high-need student population 

facing unique challenges in obtaining a high-quality education. The program largely duplicates 

services that may be funded through the other Federal elementary and secondary programs 

that support Hawaii as well as State, local, and private funds.

Promise Neighborhoods........................................................................................... $73.3

This program supports local partnerships that are implementing comprehensive, neighborhoodbased plans for meeting the cradle-to-career educational, health, and social service needs of 

children and families in high-poverty communities. Previous cohorts have struggled to effectively 

implement all program components, improve outcomes across the broad range of program 

goals, and build sufficient capacity to maintain program beyond the initial 5-year grant period. In 

addition, the program duplicates activities that may be supported by other Federal, State, local, 

or private funds, including schoolwide programs under Title I Grants to LEAs.

Ready to Learn Programming .................................................................................. $25.7

This program supports the development and dissemination of high-quality educational television 

programming. The program is less relevant and necessary with the rise of the internet and the 

increasing number of private providers that create and disseminate programming, online games, 

and “apps” that are both educational and entertaining.
55

(2017 BA in millions)

Regional Educational Laboratories........................................................................... $54.4

This program supports dissemination and technical assistance activities that are duplicative of 

existing investments in areas of training, technical assistance, and professional development to 

build State capacity to provide high-quality education. Past surveys and evaluations suggest 

that the technical assistance currently provided through this program may be underutilized or 

not relevant to State and district needs.

School Leader Recruitment and Support Program ................................................... $14.5

This program funds activities to improve the recruitment, preparation, placement, support, and 

retention of effective principals and other school leaders in high-need schools. This small 

program has limited impact and effectiveness and duplicates other Federal funds that may be 

used to support local efforts to recruit, train, and retain effective school leaders.

Special Olympics Education Programs .................................................................... $12.6

This program supports a directed grant award to a not-for-profit organization. Funds are used to 

expand the Special Olympics and the design and implementation of Special Olympics education 

programs. Such activities are better supported with other Federal, State, local, or private funds.

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems ...................................................................... $32.3

This program provides competitive grants to State educational agencies to enable them to 

design, develop, and implement Statewide longitudinal data systems to efficiently and 

accurately collect, manage, and analyze individual student data. The program, which was 

intended to supplement other State or local funds, has fulfilled its original purpose and is no 

longer necessary.

Strengthening Institutions......................................................................................... $86.5

This program provides funds that may be used to support a wide variety of institutional support 

activities, including construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement of instructional 

facilities. The program duplicates activities that may be supported with other Federal funds, 

including Higher Education Act Title III and V grant programs.

Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants ............................................... $400.0

This program provides funding intended to improve academic achievement by increasing the 

capacity of States and LEAs to provide students with access to a well-rounded education and 

improve school conditions and the use of technology. The activities authorized under this 

program generally can be supported with funds from other sources, including similarly flexible 

funds provided under the $15.5 billion Title I Grants to LEAs program.
56

(2017 BA in millions)

Supported Employment State Grants....................................................................... $27.5

Through this formula grant program, State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies receive 

supplemental funds to assist consumers with the most significant disabilities in achieving the 

employment outcome of supported employment. As supported employment is now an integral 

part of the Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants program, there is no longer a need for a 

separate funding stream to ensure the provision of such services.

Supporting Effective Educator Development ............................................................ $65.0

The program supports teacher recruitment, training, placement, and ongoing professional 

development, all of which are core responsibilities for States, school districts, and institutions of 

higher education and can be supported with other Federal, State, and local funding.

Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants...................................................... $2,055.8

This program provides formula grants to SEAs and subgrants to LEAs to increase student 

achievement, primarily through professional development for teachers and class-size reduction. 

The Title II-A program is largely duplicative; virtually all other ESEA formula grant funds (e.g., 

Title I, Title III) may be used for teacher or staff professional development.

Teacher Quality Partnerships (TQP) ........................................................................ $43.1

The TQP program supports partnerships that enhance professional development activities and 

training for current and prospective teachers and staff. The statute places unnecessary burden 

on grantee activities, limiting their ability to design the programs that work best for local schools.

Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants ........................................................ $200.0

This program, which supports the development and implementation of human capital 

management systems and performance-based compensation systems in high-need schools, 

has delivered limited evidence of improved teaching or learning. Moreover, States and LEAs 

may use other Federal, State, and local resources—including funds provided to nearly all school 

districts and more than 55,000 schools through the $15.5 billion Title I Grants to LEAs 

program—to pilot or demonstrate the types of incentives and supports authorized under the 

program.
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IV. DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT

History and Background

Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet level agency in 1980. Today, 

the Department supports programs that touch every area and level of education. The 

Department's early learning, elementary, and secondary education programs annually serve 

approximately 18,328 school districts and more than 55 million students attending more than 

98,000 public and 34,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and 

work-study assistance to more than 12 million postsecondary students at approximately

6,000 institutions of higher education.

The Department is responsible for administering education programs authorized and funded by 

Congress and signed into law by the President. This responsibility involves developing 

regulations and policy guidance regarding program operations, determining how program funds 

are awarded to recipients consistent with statutory requirements, and ensuring programs are 

operated fairly and conform to statutes and laws prohibiting discrimination in federally funded 

activities. The Department also collects data and conducts research on education to help focus 

attention on education issues of national importance.

Most Federal funds for education are distributed using one of three methods: (1) a statutory 

formula based on certain eligibility requirements, such as the number of low-income students in 

a school district; (2) a competitive process aimed at identifying the most promising proposals or 

projects targeting a particular educational purpose; or (3) an assessment of financial need, such 

as the ability of a student or family to pay for college.

Key programs administered by the Department include Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act (ESEA), for which the Department’s fiscal year 2019 request would provide 

$15.5 billion to help approximately 25 million students in high-poverty schools make progress 

toward State academic standards; and $12 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act Part B Grants to States to help States and school districts meet the special education needs 

of 6.9 million students with disabilities. Key programs also include Federal Pell Grants, which 

would make available $30.2 billion in need-based grants to 7.6 million students enrolled in 

postsecondary institutions; and the postsecondary student loan programs, which would help 

provide roughly $151 billion in new and consolidated Direct Loans to help students and families 

pay for college.

The Department’s programs and responsibilities have grown substantially over the past decade. 

Some of the growth has resulted from legislation that added responsibilities or changed 

requirements, including the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which created 

100 percent Direct Lending, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and the 

Federal Information Technology Reform Act (FITARA). Carrying out the existing Higher 

Education Act and making sure institutions comply with regulations to protect student and 

taxpayer interests has meant more workload. In addition, the reauthorization of the ESEA by the 

Every Student Succeeds Act significantly increased demands on the Department to develop and 

disseminate program guidance, and provide substantial technical assistance to SEAs and LEAs 

to ensure a smooth transition to and implementation of the new statute.
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Salaries and Expenses Overview

(dollars in millions)

Departmental Management 2017Footnote

2018

Annualized CRFootnote

2019 

RequestFootnote

Program Administration..................................... $432.0 $429.1 $459.31

Office for Civil Rights......................................... 108.5 107.8 107.4

Office of Inspector General ............................... 59.3 58.9 63.4

Student Aid Administration................................ 1,576.9 1,566.1 1,772.0

Other ................................................................. 8.72 8.62 8.82

Total 2,185.4 2,170.5 2,410.9

Full-Time Equivalent Employment (FTE)

Program Administration..................................... 1,753 1,648 1,615

Office for Civil Rights......................................... 579 529 529

Office of Inspector General ............................... 232 231 244

Student Aid Administration................................ 1,526 1,517 1,494

Other ................................................................. 17 19 19

Total 4,1073 3,9443 3,9013

 1 Includes $26.8 million for Building Modernization. 2 Includes small Federal Credit Administration accounts and S&E activities in program accounts. 3 Actual FTE usage in FY 2017; target for FY 2018 and FY 2019.

The fiscal year 2019 request for Salaries and Expenses (S&E) would pay the costs of staff, 

overhead, contracts, and other activities needed to administer and monitor the Department’s 

educational assistance programs. After the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and 

Health and Human Services, ED has the fourth largest discretionary budget of all Cabinet level 

agencies. When comparing federal civilian employment in the executive branch, ED’s workforce 

is smaller than all other Cabinet agencies. The Department’s administrative funds are 

approximately 1 percent of the total annual program appropriations and new loan volume 

administered by the Department.

The Department is requesting $2.4 billion for its S&E budget accounts in fiscal year 2019, an 

increase of $240 million, or 11.1 percent, over the fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level. 

Eighty-six percent of the requested increase, or $205.9 million, is for servicing costs necessary 

to manage the Department’s almost $1.4 trillion loan portfolio; maintaining continual operations 

for origination and disbursement functions; IT system hosting; IT security across applications for 

Federal Student Aid; and operations and maintenance for the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The 

remaining 14 percent of the requested increase is for building modernization and renovations; 

enhanced IT security; critical IT infrastructure needs; and critical audit and investigative work. 

The fiscal year 2019 request includes funding for 3,901 FTE, a decrease of 43 FTE from the 

fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level of 3,944 FTE.
59

Program Administration

The Program Administration account provides administrative support for most programs and 

offices in the Department. The fiscal year 2019 request totals $459.3 million, an increase of 

$30.2 million, or 7 percent, above the fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level. The request 

includes $259.3 million for personnel compensation and benefits to support 1,615 FTE, a 

decrease of $5.3 million from the fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level of $264.6 million.

Salaries and Expenses non-personnel costs cover such items as travel, rent, mail, telephones, 

utilities, printing, information technology (IT) services and security, contractual services, 

equipment, supplies, and other services. The total request for non-personnel activities in fiscal 

year 2019 is $173.2 million, an increase of $8.8 million from the fiscal year 2018 annualized CR 

level of $164.4 million. Approximately 71 percent of the total non-personnel request is to cover 

Program Administration’s share of the Department’s centralized services. The centralized 

services request totals $123.1 million for fiscal year 2019, an increase of $6.2 million over the 

fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level.

The overall account increase of $30.2 million is primarily needed for: (1) building modernization 

and renovation activities with a goal of reducing the Department’s future rent costs by 

approximately $11.2 million annually and; (2) continued improvements to the Department’s IT 

security to ensure the integrity of Department of Education data as well as to prevent potential 

IT security breaches. The request for non-personnel activities to support Building Modernization 

in fiscal year 2019 is $26.8 million; no funds were provided under the fiscal year 2018 

annualized CR.

Student Aid Administration

The Student Aid Administration account provides funds to administer the Federal student aid

programs. The Higher Education Act Title IV programs, which provide funds to help students 

and families pay for the cost of education and training beyond high school, are the Nation’s 

largest source of financial aid for postsecondary students. This account supports functions 

across the student aid lifecycle including: educating students and families about the process for 

obtaining aid and student loan repayment options; processing student financial aid applications; 

disbursing aid; servicing loans; collecting on defaulted loans; and ensuring enforcement and 

oversight of the Title IV programs.

Ensuring the smooth operation of the complex financial transactions and assisting the many 

participants involved in the student financial aid programs, while safeguarding the interests of 

both students and Federal taxpayers, is one of the Department's greatest management 

challenges and highest administrative priorities. Primary responsibility for administering the 

Federal student financial assistance programs rests with Federal Student Aid (FSA), the Office 

of the Under Secretary, and the Office of Postsecondary Education.

In fiscal year 2019, FSA will provide $129.5 billion in new Federal student aid grants and loans 

(excluding Direct Consolidation Loans) to almost 11.4 million postsecondary students and their 

families. These students attend approximately 6,000 active institutions of postsecondary 

education accredited by dozens of agencies.

SAFRA ended the origination of new loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) 

program. Since July 1, 2010, all new loans are originated and serviced through the Direct Loan 
60

(DL) program administered by the Department of Education. Although all new lending is made 

through the DL program, private lenders continue to service and collect outstanding nondefaulted loans from the FFEL portfolio, while guaranty agencies and the Department continue 

to service and collect loans assigned to the Federal Government. The Department currently 

contracts with nine servicers to service the Department’s portfolio of over 32 million borrowers.

The Student Aid Administration account represents 74 percent of the Department’s total 

discretionary administrative budget. The fiscal year 2019 request would provide $1.8 billion to 

administer student aid programs, an increase of $205.9 million over the fiscal year 

2018 annualized CR level. Thirty-seven percent of the increase is due to higher servicing costs, 

which result from growth in the number of borrowers and shifts of existing borrowers from 

in-school to more expensive in-repayment statuses and costs associated with transitioning to 

the Next Generation Processing and Servicing Environment. In addition, the fiscal year 2019 

request includes funds necessary to maintain operations for student aid application processing, 

origination and disbursement functions and student aid IT system hosting; enhance IT security; 

and costs associated with implementing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

The Budget supports Federal Student Aid (FSA) in undertaking a monumental student loan 

servicing upgrade. FSA is reorganizing its fragmented servicing and operating infrastructure in 

order to provide an innovative, world-class financial services experience for its customers. The 

Next Generation Financial Services Environment at FSA will start with a mobile-first, mobilecomplete engagement layer for all customer interactions that will link with an integrated but 

nimble new system. Integrated into every aspect of this modernization effort will be state-of-theart cyber security protection. The end goal of this technical reorganization and modernization 

effort will be to provide better service for FSA's over 40 million customers, including students 

and institutions, across the student loan lifecycle. The new environment will help increase 

awareness and understanding of Federal student aid opportunities and responsibilities, improve

FSA’s operational flexibility, and enhance cost and operational efficiency, producing better 

outcomes for students and taxpayers. 

Office for Civil Rights

The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigates discrimination complaints, conducts 

compliance reviews, monitors corrective action plans, and provides technical assistance on civil 

rights issues. Since fiscal year 2007, the number of complaints doubled through fiscal 

year 2017, while the number of investigative staff decreased by 10 percent over the same 

period. The FTE level is projected to be 529 in fiscal year 2019.

The fiscal year 2019 request for OCR is $107.4 million, a decrease of $0.3 million from the fiscal 

year 2018 annualized CR level. About $79.3 million, or 74 percent, of the request is for staff pay 

and benefits for 529 FTE. The remaining $28.1 million is for non-pay projects and includes 

$3.5 million for information technology services, including the contract for the Civil Rights Data 

Collection. The requested funds would ensure essential program support to resolve complaints 

of discrimination filed by the public and to ensure that institutions receiving Federal financial 

assistance are in compliance with the civil rights laws enforced by OCR.
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Office of Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts audits and investigations of the Department’s 

programs and activities to help ensure accountability for taxpayer-provided funds and to identify 

management improvements. The fiscal year 2019 request for the OIG is $63.4 million, an 

increase of $4.6 million over the fiscal year 2018 annualized CR level. Approximately 67 percent 

of this amount, or $42.4 million, is for personnel compensation and benefits to support a staffing 

level of 244 FTE.

The non-personnel request of $21.0 million includes $1.2 million to contract for the mandatory 

annual audit of the Department’s financial statements. The scope of the audit would include the 

examination and analysis of account balances, review of applicable financial systems, and 

evaluation of internal controls and compliance with significant laws and regulations. Additionally, 

the non-personnel request includes funds to support the Council of Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency, and to continue to develop the ability to perform predictive analytics with 

a tool to identify patterns of fraud and risk, allowing the OIG to better target its audit and 

investigative work.
APPENDICES

• Summary of Discretionary Funds

• Summary of Mandatory Funds

• Advance Appropriations for the Department of Education

• Total Expenditures for Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States

• Detailed Budget Table by Program