S 810119th CongressIn Committee

No Cuts to Public Schools Act

Introduced: Feb 27, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The No Cuts to Public Schools Act (S. 810) would, for fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027, prevent any reductions in funding for a broad group of federal education programs. It creates a catch-up mechanism: after a regular appropriation Act funds all “critical education programs” for a given year, the Treasury would automatically provide an additional amount equal to any reductions in funding experienced by those programs for that year, with those funds remaining available until spent. The bill defines which programs count as “critical” (most major K-12 federal education programs, including IDEA, Title I, Title III, Title II, and related McKinney-Vento provisions, among others). Its budgetary language also excludes this effect from PAYGO scorekeeping. In short, the bill is designed to ensure there are no net cuts to these core education programs by providing backstop funding equal to any reductions, effectively preserving the 2024 funding baseline for FY 2025–2027 unless Congress chooses to increase funding above that baseline.

Key Points

1Critical education programs defined. The bill includes major federal education programs such as IDEA, multiple Title I parts, Title II, Title III, Title IV, Title V, Title VI, Title VII, and the McKinney-Vento program.
2What counts as a reduction in funding. A reduction is measured by comparing each program’s funding in 2024 (as specified in the 2024 appropriations act and its explanatory statement) to the funding in the applicable regular appropriation Act for the current fiscal year.
3Automatic catch-up funding. For FY 2025, 2026, and 2027, once a regular appropriation Act appropriates funds for all the critical programs for the year, the Treasury must provide an amount equal to any reduction in funding for each program, effectively restoring the 2024 level.
4Availability of funds. The additional funds appropriated under this provision remain available until expended.
5Budgetary treatment. The bill specifies that the effects of this provision would not be counted on PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) scorecards, meaning it would not impact certain formal budgetary balance calculations.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Students and schools relying on federal education programs (e.g., students with disabilities under IDEA; low-income students served by Title I; English learners; students in homeless situations under McKinney-Vento; other Title I-related programs).Secondary group/area affected:- State and local education agencies that administer these programs and rely on federal funding, as well as federal program administrators and policymakers.Additional impacts:- Budgetary and fiscal effects: The bill does not automatically fund increases beyond 2024 levels; it only restores any reductions to the 2024 baseline. If current-year funding is already equal to or above 2024 levels, there would be little or no additional funding under this act. If reductions occur, the bill would add back the reduced amount, potentially preventing cuts in services or staffing tied to those programs.- Legislative process and accountability: By tying the catch-up to a “regular appropriation Act” and using a baseline tied to 2024, the bill interacts with Congress’s annual budgeting and appropriations process and would require consistent determinations of what counts as a reduction.- Administrative considerations: Agencies would need to implement the mechanism to identify reductions relative to the 2024 baseline and to disburse the catch-up funds accordingly; funds would be available until expended, which could affect multi-year planning.

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