TESOL Calls for Educational Funding in U.S. Appropriations

by Jeff Hutcheson, Director Advocacy & Public Policy |

The federal government of the United States of America provides over 10% of the funds that state and local education agencies rely on each year to support our education system. With over 5 million multilingual learners of English (MLEs) in U.S. elementary and secondary education and hundreds of thousands of MLEs in federally funded adult education programs, the U.S. federal government plays a vital role in ensuring that all learners have equal access to quality language instruction.

Unfortunately, federal funding for education is at risk of significant cuts and even elimination during the government's annual appropriations process. On 2 May, the President released his "Skinny Budget" proposal and in it were significant cuts to education, including the complete elimination of funds for Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act supporting (ESEA) MLEs in public schools and Title II of the Workforce Innovation ad Opportunity Act supporting MLEs in adult education..

TESOL International Association strongly opposes the proposed cuts and elimination of federal funding in the Skinny Budget, and we call on Congress to fully fund its commitments to education, especially in support of the English language teaching (ELT) field and the MLEs, communities, and schools our field serves. 

TESOL has joined with over 50 national and state organizations calling for Congress to appropriate $1 billion in funding for Title III of ESEA, and we support the appropriations of $810 million for adult education state grants in Title II of WIOA, as articulated in Dear Colleague Letters in the House and Senate.

Now is the time to act. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support the ELT field and MLEs in the appropriations process. Contact your members today!

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