Education Leaders of Color Reacts to Federal Spending Bill

Programs that benefit communities of color woefully underfunded

Today, Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) CEO, Sharhonda Bossier, released the following statement reacting to the $1.5 trillion spending bill Congress passed late last week:  

“As leaders who understand the barriers preventing youth of color and their families from thriving because we have faced them in our own lives, we are disappointed that Congress’ $1.5 trillion dollar spending bill fails to provide adequate support for programs our communities desperately need.  

“In his inaugural budget request, President Biden had requested to increase federal education funding by over 40 percent to address long-standing systemic deficiencies, yet the spending bill for 2022 Congress passed late last will only increase federal education funding by three percent. While we appreciate the annual spending bill makes significant investments in mental health services, full-service community schools, and college affordability by increasing Pell Grants, we cannot ignore Congress’s refusal to sufficiently value and fund education and workforce development programs. Congress’s failure to extend critical provisions that help ensure children can access nutritious meals at school is one among many examples of its unimaginative and insufficient approach to ensuring all children are supported to succeed in life. 

“The equity we hope education can foster is only possible if we confront and address the social and economic challenges that have disproportionately impacted communities of color since this nation was founded. Existing solutions to these challenges can only be scaled to impact when Congress understands that programs aimed at putting people on the path to prosperity should be a fundamental budget priority.