Reading First Program Loses Half of its Annual Budget

[Chef Dave]

The 2008 Federal Department of Education budget is out. The biggest loser is the Reading First Program which is part of the NCLB legislation. Reading First will only receive $506 million, less than half of the $1.15 billion it received during the previous year.

The reason?

An audit turned up gross discrepancies that include mismanagement of grant reviews, ethics violations, conflict of interest, discrimination (against programs the director didn't care for), requirements for states to meet standards that were not part of the law, and failure to allow states to review comments made by "experts" with regards to their applications. The problems are so severe that the U.S. Justice Department has now implemented a criminal investigation.

One of the people now under review is the former assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education. The assistant secretary who served from 2005-07 claims that she is "unaware" of any bias towards certain reading programs.

http://hb1.eschoolnews.com/funding/funding-news/index.cfm?i=41312&page=1

[shetta]

I am a reading teacher and well, it is just about par for the course when it comes to NCLB funds being cut for the reading program. It looks like my district budget is going to have to do the same (different reasons). My RIP program (Reading Improvement Program) that I do for below grade level kids is not going to get funding for next year. At least I have been prepared in advance for this cut.:mad:

[busbus]

The 2008 Federal Department of Education budget is out. The biggest loser is the Reading First Program which is part of the NCLB legislation. Reading First will only receive $506 million, less than half of the $1.15 billion it received during the previous year.

The reason?

An audit turned up gross discrepancies that include mismanagement of grant reviews, ethics violations, conflict of interest, discrimination (against programs the director didn't care for), requirements for states to meet standards that were not part of the law, and failure to allow states to review comments made by "experts" with regards to their applications. The problems are so severe that the U.S. Justice Department has now implemented a criminal investigation.

One of the people now under review is the former assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education. The assistant secretary who served from 2005-07 claims that she is "unaware" of any bias towards certain reading programs.

http://hb1.eschoolnews.com/funding/funding-news/index.cfm?i=41312&page=1
In the end, it's the struggling student who suffers the consequences because of these acts. Then it affects the classroom teacher of the struggling student who now has to find interventions, strategies and time to help the student. As the saying goes, "Money is the root to all evil." Maybe not all; but, a whole lot of it! :rolleyes:

[busbus]

I am a reading teacher and well, it is just about par for the course when it comes to NCLB funds being cut for the reading program. It looks like my district budget is going to have to do the same (different reasons). My RIP program (Reading Improvement Program) that I do for below grade level kids is not going to get funding for next year. At least I have been prepared in advance for this cut.:mad:

At least you have been forewarned. Can you imagine the psychological affect this cut will have on teachers who took the position of Reading First Coach for the first time this year? We have our personal reasons for applying for positions outside of the classroom. Many of us just want relief from the daily student assaults and/or administrator assaults! Now knowing the possibility of having to return to the lion's den can be very stressful! :mad: