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Federal Policy Watch

Welcome to Federal Policy Watch, a regular blog series from OAESA designed to keep our members informed about federal decisions that directly impact PreK-8 education. These updates are provided by OAESA’s Federal Relations Representative, Dr. Nick Neiderhouse, and will highlight key policy developments, funding decisions, and national conversations shaping the work of school leaders. Our goal is to ensure you have timely, relevant information to navigate the shifting federal landscape with confidence and clarity.

Federal Relations Update -- June 2026

  House Appropriations Markup 

  • The House will hold a markup of its FY27 education spending bill on Friday, June 5.  
  • The full committee will vote on the funding bill next week, June 9. 
    • The committee isn’t sharing any information at this point 
    • But we anticipate that the spending levels will look similar to FY26’s education funding bill. 
      • That bill rejected the White House’s proposed block grant program and cuts to Title IV-A and Title IV-B 
      • However, that bill did include a nearly $5 billion cut to Title I and the elimination of the Title II and Title III programs.  
  • NAESP issued an Action Alert to NAESP members who are constituents of Senate and House Appropriations Committee members encouraging them to support federal preK-12 funding during the appropriations process.  
    • Note: School leaders who are NOT represented by a legislator on the appropriations committees will get an error message if they try to send an email via the action alert. 

 

NAESP FY27 Written Testimonies  

  • NAESP submitted testimony to both the House and Senate Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies 
  • NAESP urged Congress to maintain or increase FY27 funding for key federal preK-12 education programs (Title I, IDEA, Title II, Title III, Title IV, and Head Start) while opposing cuts to special education supports and warning that proposed interagency agreements could disrupt critical funding and services for schools. 

 

Title II Sign On Letter  

  • NAESP helped lead a coalition sign on letter to all members of Congress in support of the Title II program urging legislators to increase FY27 Title II funding by $210 million to strengthen educator and principal recruitment, retention, and professional development during ongoing workforce shortages. 
  • 31 NAESP State Affiliates signed the letter.  
  • More than 100 national and state organizations in total signed the letter. 

 

NAESP Featured in IDEA Webinar  

  • NAESP is part of a national coalition of education groups working on special education issues. 
  • David was a panelist on a webinar hosted by the coalition highlighting potential challenges related to any transfer of IDEA or special education programs out of the Department of Education to another cabinet agency.  
  • IDEA is fundamentally an education law first and foremost and is designed to operate within the broader education system. There are concerns that separating special education from general education programs could create challenges for students, families, and schools. 
  • The webinar also raised questions about compliance and enforcement responsibilities particular to IDEA were it transferred to another agency.  
  • A summary of the webinar will be shared with the FRCs. 

 

Interagency Agreements (IAAs) 

  • Federal education formula funding for the upcoming school year will be distributed on July 1 through the Department of Education's existing grants management system and not through the Department of Labor system as administration officials wanted.  
  • This is a significant relief as there were major concerns that using a different, untested platform that needed to connect with state department of education systems could create technical issues that would cause delays in funding. 
  • As we saw last year, the delay in funding for Title II, Title IV-A and Title IV-B caused widespread problems for schools and districts. A delay in Title I funding would be orders of magnitude more problematic. 
  • However, questions remain about which grant system will be used for the second round of 2026-27 school year funding that goes out on October 1.  

 

Future of the Department of Education 

  • Many of the recent changes affecting the Department of Education have been implemented through executive action and can be reversed by future administrations.  
  • The Department of Education was created by Congress and cannot be eliminated without congressional action.  
  • Maintaining the Department's existence preserves the ability for future presidential administrations and Congresses to restore programs, staffing, and responsibilities if they choose to do so. 

 

Pathways Alliance  

  • NAESP has been working with the Pathways Alliance about developing a set of Principal Apprenticeship Standards.  
  • The Department of Labor just approved these national guideline standards for apprenticeship programs. Please see the links below for more information. 
  • Interest in principal apprenticeship programs continues to grow, and increased activity is expected at the state level.  
  • Future efforts may include state and district cohorts designed to strengthen principal preparation and leadership pipelines. 

 

State Flexibility Waivers  

  • Secretary McMahon approved a waiver allowing Louisiana to consolidate its state-level formula grant funding it receives under the Every Student Succeeds Act—except for Title I funds. 
  • Louisiana became the second state, after Iowa, to receive approval for a state flexibility waiver, and additional requests from states are expected to follow. 
  • Federal education funds are typically accompanied by specific requirements and allowable uses at both the state and local level.  
    • For example, Title II funds are intended to support the recruitment, retention, and development of educators and school leaders.  
    • Under the waiver, states have greater flexibility to combine their eligible funding streams at the state level and direct resources toward activities that align with the purposes of the consolidated programs.  

 

Federal Relations Archived Updates:

Questions can be directed to OAESA Federal Relations Coordinator: Dr. Nick Neiderhouse at nneiderhouse@rossfordschools.org

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