EETT funding may be restored

A Senate appropriations subcommittee voted to restore funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology program after President Bush recommended, and the House acted on, eliminating the program. eSchool News reports that the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted to fund EETT at $272 million.

That's level funding for the program from this year, but precipitously down from $696m in 2004. Education advocates breathed a sign of relief but the funding is far from assured.

"I am pleased that the Senate has made educational technology a funding priority in the FY07 ... education spending bill," said G. Thomas Houlihan, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, in a statement. "However, there is still much work to do to ensure that this important program is sustained and receives the resources necessary to continue to close the achievement gap."

In addition to the EETT funding the bill passed by the subcommittee includes $195 million for Math and Science Partnerships, $40 million for Advanced Placement Programs, and $26.2 million for Foreign Language Assistance programs.