coe-staff: GRANT MATTERS Update: President's Request for IES Research Funds for FY 2014

[Linda Lewis]

The Obama administration today released it's proposed budget for FY 
2014, which starts October 1, 2013.  Otherfigures will be forthcoming, 
but for this morning, here's the news for the two major programs of 
research under the Institute of Education Sciences.  You can see the 
details at: 
http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget14/justifications/x-ies.pdf


*National Center for Special Education Research (NSCER)*

Special education researchers should be encouraged because after 3 years 
of decreasing budgets for the National Center for Special Education 
Research, the administration has requested an increase that would raise 
the NCSER budget to $59.9 million. The amount recently appropriated by 
Congress for NCSER in FY 2013 was $49.9 million; but the 5% sequester 
that was applied after the appropriation was made reduced the NCSER 
budget for FY 2013 to approximately $47.5 million.

The President's budget for FY 2014 doesnot reflect final sequestered 
2013 budgets for individual agencies and their operating units and 
programs, and final numbers post-sequester have not been published as 
yet. Therefore, today's budget documents list FY 2013 appropriations 
pre-sequester when comparing the FY 2014 request to appropriations for 
previous years.

1.  The FY 2014 budget request for NCSER is for $59.9 million. If 
enacted it would represent a 20% increase over the appropriated amount 
for FY 2013 ($49.9 million), but approximately $13 million more than the 
final sequestered FY 2013 budget for the NCSER programsof $47 million.  
If appropriated at the requested level, NCSER funding would increase by 
approximately 27% increase over the FY 2013 post-sequester level.

2. While the President's request for FY 2014 would not fully restore the 
NCSER budget to its previous level of $71 million (FY 2008-2011), it is 
a significant first step.

3. Today's request provides the field with the opportunity to advocate 
more effectivelythan its been able to in recent years when the 
administration has sought to cut and then level fund NCSER programs. 
Last year, for example, when the administration did not request 
restoration of NCSER funding, it was an uphill and ultimately losing 
battle to convince the US Congress that more resources for research in 
the education of children with disabilities were needed.  At least now, 
the argument can be made that the US Department of Education is ready to 
re-invest in the special education research program.


*National Center for Education Research (NCER)
*
TheFY 2014 request for NCSER would increase its budget by $12.5 million 
over the pre-sequester FY 2013 appropriation, from $189.8 million to 
$202.3 million. The post-sequester appropriation for NCSER in FY 2013 is 
estimated to be approximately $180.3.  The $202.3 request for FY 2014 is 
approximately $22 million higher than the post-sequester appropriation.


-- 
Linda Lewis
Office of Associate Dean for Research and Outreach
College of Education, Lokey 207
1215 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1215
541-346-1394
lmlewis at uoregon.edu

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