DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

FY 2020 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET
“We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that all Americans 

have access to an affordable, high-quality education. To 

maintain our country's competitiveness, our students deserve 

a good education that empowers them with the knowledge, 

skills, and character necessary to reach their full 

potential. Each student is unique, with their own distinct 

experiences, needs, learning styles, and dreams. Thus, 

education must be customized and individualized as there is 

no single approach to education that works for every 

student.”

 - PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Quote from President Trump

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THE FY 2020 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET:

• Includes $64.0 billion in new discretionary Budget Authority

▫ $7.1 billion or 10 percent decrease below the fiscal year 2019 appropriation.

• Provides $131.0 billion in new postsecondary grants, loans, and workstudy assistance to help an estimated 12 million students and their families 

pay for college.

• Promotes fiscal discipline and supports priorities to improve the quality of 

education and prepare students for the workforce of the 21st century.

• Eliminates funding for 29 programs that do not address national needs, 

duplicate other programs, are ineffective, or are more appropriately 

supported with State, local, or private funds. 

▫ These proposals would decrease taxpayer costs by $6.7 billion.

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MAJOR INITIATIVES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020

• Increase education freedom

• Support high-need students through essential formula grant 

programs

• Protect students by promoting safe and secure schools

• Elevate the teaching profession

• Promote workforce development for the 21st century 

• Streamline and improve postsecondary aid programs

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INCREASE EDUCATION FREEDOM

• $500 million for the Charter Schools Program, an increase of $60 

million over the fiscal year 2019 appropriation, to support State and local 

efforts to establish and expand charter schools.

• $107 million for the Magnet Schools Program to increase educational 

options for students and families.

• $50 million for Student-Centered Funding Incentive Grants to help 

districts participate in flexibility agreements under Title I, Part E and 

implement more transparent funding systems where Federal, State, and 

local dollars follow each student.

• Title I Direct Student Services set-aside raised from 3 percent to 

5 percent to encourage States to leverage more Title I funds to support 

public school choice.

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“All students should have the freedom to pursue an education that develops their talents, 

unleashes their unique potential, and prepares them for a successful life.”

- Secretary Betsy DeVos

• Education Freedom Scholarships would provide for a $5 billion annual 

federal tax credit for voluntary donations to state-based scholarship 

programs for elementary and secondary students.

▫ This is not a part of the Department of Education’s fiscal year 2020 budget, but 

rather is proposed in the request for the Department of Treasury. 

• Individual and business taxpayers nationwide contribute to student 

scholarships through state- identified Scholarship Granting Organizations. 

Such contributions are eligible to receive a non-refundable, dollar-for- dollar federal tax credit, but no contributor will be allowed a total tax 

benefit greater than the amount of their contribution.

• This proposal would empower students and families to choose the best 

educational setting for them – regardless of where they live, how much 

they make, and how they learn.

EDUCATION FREEDOM SCHOLARSHIPS

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SUPPORT HIGH-NEED STUDENTS THROUGH

ESSENTIAL FORMULA GRANT PROGRAMS

• $15.9 billion in Title I grants, maintaining an historic level of 

funding for a program that provides critical additional support to 

students in high-poverty schools.

• $13.2 billion for IDEA formula grants to States to support special 

education and early intervention services for more than 7 million 

children with disabilities.

• $737.4 million for English Language Acquisition formula grants

to implement effective language instruction programs to help 

English learners attain proficiency. 

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PROTECT STUDENTS BY PROMOTING SAFE AND

SECURE SCHOOLS

• A total of $200 million for School Safety National Activities

to provide grants and related technical assistance for States 

and school districts to develop school emergency operation 

plans, offer counseling and emotional support in schools with 

pervasive violence, and implement evidence-based practices 

for improving behavioral outcomes; of which

▫ $100 million will be used for a new School Safety State Formula 

Grant program to help build State and local capacity to develop and 

implement interventions that enhance school safety, including 

recommendations from the Final Report of the Federal Commission on 

School Safety. 

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ELEVATE THE TEACHING PROFESSION

• $300 million for Education Innovation and Research, an increase of 

$170 million over the 2019 appropriation.

• $200 million for demonstration projects that will test the impact of teacher 

professional development vouchers on the quality and effectiveness of 

classroom instruction.

• $100 million for field-initiated projects to promote innovation and reform in 

STEM education.

• $200 million for Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants to improve 

teacher induction and recognize and reward teaching excellence. This 

program would support performance-based compensation systems and 

human capital management systems that focus on: 

• High-quality mentoring or residencies for novice teachers; and 

• Increased compensation for effective teachers, particularly in high-need fields 

and subjects, such as computer science.

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• $1.3 billion for Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants to 

promote and improve career and technical education in high schools, 

technical schools, and community colleges.

• $20 million for CTE National Programs, an increase $12.6 million over 

the fiscal year 2019 enacted level, aimed to improve the quality and 

effectiveness of CTE programs across states, including by supporting the 

newly authorized Innovation and Modernization grants that focus on 

STEM fields, particularly computer science.

• $60 million increase for Adult Education National Activities for 

Fast-Track Pre-Apprenticeships for Low-Skilled Adults. This proposal 

supports State efforts to create pre-apprenticeship programs that increase 

the number of adults able to meet the basic entrance requirements of 

apprenticeship programs.

PROMOTE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

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• Expand Pell Grant program eligibility to students enrolled in high- quality short-term programs that lead to a credential, certification, or 

license in a high-demand field.

• Reform the Federal Work-Study program to support workforce and 

career-oriented training opportunities for low-income undergraduate 

students, instead of merely providing subsidized employment as a means of 

financial aid.

• Consolidate multiple Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans into a 

single plan.

• Invest $1.8 billion for NextGen Servicing and Processing Environment, 

a monumental student loan servicing upgrade undertaken by Federal 

Student Aid (FSA) to provide better service throughout the student loan 

lifecycle for approximately 42 million borrowers and the institutions they attend.

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STREAMLINE AND IMPROVE POSTSECONDARY

AID PROGRAMS