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

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • nursing students talk while studying in a hallway

    Elsevier Launches VR Simulation Solution for Nursing Students

    Elsevier has introduced Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality, a simulation platform that allows nursing students to interact with virtual patients and build clinical judgment skills in a safe, realistic environment.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.