Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Statement From ISTE CEO Brian Lewis on Fiscal-Year 2017 Funding for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants Program

  • 07/07/16

Washington, D.C. — Statement from Brian Lewis, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), on the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee’s approval of $1 billion of funding in fiscal year 2017 for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants Program (SSAEG), Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):

“ISTE greatly appreciates the subcommittee’s approval today of $1 billion in fiscal year 2017 funding for the SSAEG program. We believe this figure, though falling measurably short of the program’s full authorization level of $1.67 billion, represents a step forward in helping students gain access to the full range of academic subjects and supports, including technology, computer science, foreign languages, art, music and school counseling, that ensure a well-rounded education. It stands in marked contrast to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s approved level of $300 million, which would provide far too many districts nationwide with paltry formula allocations of just $6,000. ISTE urges the House Appropriations Committee and the full House to follow the committee's lead and quickly approve $1 billion for SSAEG.”

ISTE is a leader in educating policymakers and advocating for digital learning and equitable access to broadband and technology for all learners. At the ISTE 2016 annual Conference & Expo held recently in Denver, more than 1,300 educators sent nearly 4,300 letters advocating for funding for digital learning to their representatives in Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit www.iste.org/advocacy.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.