Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

ISTE Releases Statement from CEO Brian Lewis on Release of President's Obama's Budget

  • 02/09/16

Washington, D.C. — Statement from Brian Lewis, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®):

“We’re truly disappointed in the White House’s decision to request fiscal year 2017 funding of only $500 million in the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Title IV flexible block grant that supports, among other things, the effective use of ed tech.

“This figure falls well short – indeed, it's less than one-third – of the Title IV authorization level Congress passed by an overwhelming majority and the President signed into law just two months ago. It’s particularly puzzling to ISTE, given the administration’s otherwise powerful education technology legacy.

“Title IV of ESSA is designed to encourage school districts to provide technology professional development to teachers, principals and administrators. But it will be of only limited effect with so little money allocated to it. Further, it will decrease the value of other crucial and much-needed investments, including the 2014 increase in the E-Rate program’s annual cap, and the President’s recent call to invest major dollars in a coding and computer science initiative.

“ISTE and its affiliates will work hard to convince Congress of the urgent need to provide greater funding for Title IV in its final FY17 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill. Our children’s futures, and in fact our collective future, are too valuable to skimp now.”

About ISTE
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world.

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.