Written Testimony for the Record 

On behalf of Denise Forte 

President and Chief Executive Officer 

EdTrust 

Before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies 

June 13, 2025 

On behalf of EdTrust, a national nonprofit committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system, thank you for the opportunity to present testimony on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS-ED) Appropriations bill. We request that the L-HHS-ED bill make substantial investments to ensure that essential education programs have the resources they need to ensure the greatest impact for underserved students, particularly students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. 

These investments are more critical now than ever given the ongoing threats posed to federal funding. Since assuming office in January, the Trump administration has taken numerous actions to jeopardize public education, including executive orders to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in contradiction to bipartisan laws passed by Congress and promote the use of public funds for private and parochial schools. Significant reductions in force at ED have substantially undermined the agency’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities to America’s students and families, including enforcing students’ civil rights and consumer protections, administering grants that support schools and districts, and ensuring students receive financial aid to pursue higher education. The unilateral termination of numerous ED grants and contracts has disrupted bipartisan programs that prepared and strengthened our teacher workforce, developed innovative solutions for students, and provided technical assistance to schools, districts, and states. The decimation of the Institute of Education Sciences will leave families, students, educators, researchers, and policymakers without foundational information, research, and support to know how students are performing, and which practices and policies are effective in supporting learning. 

Furthermore, the President’s FY26 budget recommendation proposed further cuts to public education and ED’s capacity to protect and serve our students, including slashing resources for K-12, college access programs, the Office for Civil Rights, and substantially lowering the maximum Pell award. The nation’s students and families need and support Congress increasing, not decreasing, education funding. Furthermore, we support textual language in the bill that would explicitly ensure funds allocated for these programs are used only for activities authorized by the statutes creating each program. Congress must reject the proposed 15.3% cut to the Department of Education and other reductions to investments in our students the Trump administration has proposed. 

To that end, while there are many programs under your jurisdiction that are critical in facilitating the achievement of students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, in FY26, EdTrust is focused on the following: 

• Strengthening the Pell Grant program by increasing the maximum award to keep pace with inflation, at a minimum, to make progress toward doubling the maximum award. Furthermore, Congress must address the looming Pell Grant funding shortfall by providing an additional emergency investment to ensure Pell benefits are not cut, and Pell eligibility is not narrowed.  

• Supporting teachers and school leaders by asserting Congress’ constitutional power of the purse by rejecting the unilateral elimination of bipartisan programs, and increasing investments in the programs below: 

• ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Title I-A ($20.54 billion) 

• ESSA Title II-A ($3 billion) 

• The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSLIP) ($200 million) 

• The Supporting Effective Educator Development Program (SEED) ($200 million) 

• HEA (Higher Education Act) Title II’s Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants ($300 million) 

• Restoring funding to the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program (SLRSP) ($40 million) 

• Including FY23 omnibus report language supporting improving representation in advanced coursework access 

• Enabling enhanced preparation for teaching candidates at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) by allocating at least $45 million in funding for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Grant program 

• Developing and strengthening evidence-based student success programs by allocating at least $55 million in funding for the Post Secondary Student Success Grant program 

• Supporting student parents by allocating at least $500 million in funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program 

• Supporting students attending Title III and Title V institutions by allocating $1.059 billion and $500 million in discretionary funds for HEA Title III Parts A-B and Title V Parts A-B respectively, and $350 million for Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) Grants 

We urge increased support from the Committee for these crucial programs to help meet the needs of all of the nation’s students, including students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. 

Strengthening the Pell Grant Program 

The Pell Grant program is the cornerstone of federal financial aid. The program benefits roughly 7 million students annually and continues to serve as the primary federal investment designed to allow students from low-income backgrounds to access higher education. Roughly one-third of White students, almost 60% of Black students, and nearly half of Latino students rely on Pell Grants every year. Pell Grant dollars are well-targeted to those in need: 88 percent of Pell recipients come from families with annual incomes at or below $40,000; and 46 percent of recipients come from households with annual incomes at or below $15,000. 

Increase the Maximum Pell Grant Award 

The maximum Pell Grant award has failed to keep pace with the rapidly rising cost of college over the past several decades. In 1980, the maximum Pell Grant award covered 77 percent of the cost of attendance at a public university. Today, it covers just over 26 percent, the lowest portion in over 40 years. Bold action must be taken to halt and reverse this damaging trend. 

While we appreciate increases to the maximum award in prior appropriations bills, we were disappointed to see the maximum award remain stagnant in the FY24 omnibus and FY25 Continuing Resolution. We respectfully request that you return to annually increasing the maximum award amount. Nearly 1,200 organizations have gone on record supporting the doubling of the Pell Grant. 

In FY26, Congress should, at minimum, increase the maximum award upward from $7,395 to keep pace with inflation. It is also time for Congress to implement an ambitious plan to reverse the downward trend of Pell’s purchasing power through doubling the maximum award, including expanding the mandatory funding stream, ensuring that the maximum Pell award covers at least half of the cost of attendance at a public four-year institution.  

This is particularly crucial at a time when the Congressional Budget Office has projected a shortfall in the Pell Grant of $2.7 billion by the end of FY25 and $10 billion by the end of FY26. Congress must urgently address the Pell shortfall by providing an emergency stimulus in upcoming appropriations legislation to ensure the long-term stability of the program.  

Supporting Students, Teachers, and School Leaders 

Increase funding for ESSA’s Title I-A; ESSA’s Title II-A (Supporting Effective Instruction); the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSLIP), the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program, HEA’s Title II Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants; incentivize states and localities to evaluate their education funding formulas and policies and implement equitable reforms; and maintain FY23 report language supporting increasing equity in advanced coursework. 

EdTrust supports a $2.2 billion funding increase in FY26 budget for ESSA’s Title I-A program. We rejected proposals outlined in the President’s FY26 budget, including distributing Title I funding as block grants to states, which would be devastating for students, particularly those most underserved.  

However, it is important to note that most public education funding is distributed via state and local formulas. Therefore, any federal funding increases of this size should be accompanied by levers that encourage states and districts to address the inequities inherent in those formulas. This is a tremendous opportunity to spark systemic reform of the status quo which sends $23 billion more to predominantly White school districts than predominantly non-White school districts. Furthermore, districts with the most students of color on average receive substantially less (16%) state and local revenue than districts with the fewest students of color, and high-poverty districts receive 5% less state and local revenue than low-poverty districts. Additionally, districts with the most English learners receive 14% less state and local revenue, compared with districts with the fewest English learners. We urge the committee to think boldly about how to make the education funding system more responsive to students facing structural barriers to education by inserting report language included in prior Senate Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bills reserving $100 million for states and localities to examine their own funding formulas. 

Furthermore, research and experience demonstrate the powerful impact that teachers and school leaders have on student learning. ESSA’s Title II-A program provides grants to states and districts that can be used to invest in and develop educators. These funds can be used to, among other things, address inequities in access to effective teachers and school leaders, provide professional development, and improve teacher recruitment and retention. States and districts can also apply for additional competitive grant dollars for programs like TSLIP and SEED, which are targeted at specific, evidence-based strategies for improving teacher and school leader effectiveness and increasing educator diversity. Additionally, HEA’s Title II TQP grants, awarded to partnerships between high-need districts and teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education, can be used to recruit underrepresented populations to the teaching profession. As EdTrust’s work continues to demonstrate the positive impact that diverse teachers and school leaders of color can have on the academic achievement of all students, we remain supportive of federal dollars to increase and bolster the diversity of the educator pipeline. 

Finally, research shows that Black, Latino and Native students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds are under-represented in advanced programs and courses (gifted and talented, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, honors courses, dual enrollment, etc.). We support the inclusion of House report language included in the FY23 omnibus that noted that funds under ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) may be used to implement open enrollment, automatic enrollment, and/or universal screening practices; to increase course access and success; to provide coaching and training for educators; to purchase materials; and/or cover exam fees for under-represented students. The language also encouraged the Department to resume collecting data on passing rates for all Advanced Placement subject areas. This language mirrors some of what we have supported in the bicameral Advanced Coursework Equity Act (HR 6328/S 3279 in the 118th Congress). 

Considering the nationwide attention to the need to invest in educators, especially as districts and schools work to  combat ongoing educator shortages, it was disappointing to see level funding for most of these programs in FY24 and FY25: $2.19B for the Title II-A grant, $90M for the SEED program, and $70M for HEA’s Title II TQP grants, and a substantial cut to TSLIP ($60M). Furthermore, the administration’s decision to unilaterally overturn the will of Congress by illegally impounding hundreds of millions in critical grant funding for TQP and SEED, among other vital programs, has disrupted teacher workforce pipelines in rural and urban schools serving high-needs students. Participating districts and universities have been forced to cancel scholarships for students, fire school-based staff, eliminate positions that supported students in tutoring in math, reading, and special education, and terminate programs that recruited and retained teachers that helped solve teacher shortages across the country. We support report language directing the Department to restore and allocate all appropriated FY25 funds for these programs, rejecting any rescissions of these funds as proposed under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, as well as directives that the will of Congress is that impounding any of these funds is unconstitutional and in violation of federal law.   

At a minimum, in FY26, Congress should: increase Title I-A to $20.54B; ; increase Title II-A, TSLIP, SEED, and TQP beyond FY25 levels: $3B, $200M, $140M, and $300M, respectively;  maintain report language supporting increasing equity in advanced coursework; and include report language directing the restoration and appropriation of all funds, and rejecting both legally proposed rescissions and illegal impoundment of these funds.  

Restore funding for the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program 

Landmark research funded by the Wallace Foundation has found “virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader,” and the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program (SLRSP) is the only federal program specifically focused on investing in evidence-based, locally driven strategies to strengthen school leadership in high-need schools. A seven-year study of school districts that created pipelines to develop school leaders saw increasing gains in student achievement over time, showing how a sustained initiative can demonstrate positive effects on student learning. 

There is still a great deal of work to do, especially when it comes to identifying and efficiently preparing effective turnaround leaders, as well as sustainably supporting them to accelerate academic achievement, close gaps, and maintain improvement over time for all students and in every community. Developing strong leaders to build essential relationships with students and the communities in which they operate is fundamental to helping students grow and succeed socially, emotionally, and academically. The SLRSP is a key lever for seeding the next generation of effective school leader development programs, promoting equity, advancing ongoing innovation, and sharing innovative lessons on transformational leadership with the broader field. 

In FY26, Congress should restore funding for the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program to at least $40M, a moderate increase from what was included in FY22 Senate Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations bill. 

Increase funding for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Grant Program 

Research has shown that students of color benefit tremendously from having teachers of color, particularly one of the same racial background: they are less likely to be chronically absent or suspended from school, more likely to be recommended for gifted and talented programs, and Black students from low-income backgrounds who have a Black teacher for at least one year in elementary school are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to consider college. And while students of color make up the majority of students in public schools, the diversity gap for teachers of color still exists across every state. 

The nationwide impact of HBCUs, MSIs, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) on producing diverse teachers to combat systemic teacher shortages and narrow equity gaps cannot be overstated. Last year, 82% of public schools had more than one teacher vacancy, and 64% of public schools reported challenges finding qualified applicants to step into those vacancies. As some states adopt four-day school weeks in response to these shortages, increasing the number of traditionally underrepresented people in the teaching profession is one way to help solve the problem. Shortages are also most acute in areas of concentrated poverty, and given that teachers of color disproportionally serve in under-resourced school districts, Hawkins is uniquely valuable.  

HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, collectively, award only 11% of the nation’s bachelor’s degrees in education, yet they produce more than 50% of the bachelor’s degrees earned in education by Hispanic, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, and 35% of all American Indian/Alaskan Native teachers and Asian teachers. Approximately 40% of the nation’s Black teachers have bachelor’s degrees from these institutions as well. As noted above, the teacher workforce does not reflect the overall diversity of our country: only 20% of teachers are people of color, compared to 40% of the population and 50% of all K-12 students. The Hawkins program helps address the need for a strong and diverse teacher workforce. 

Additionally, to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the program, we recommend the inclusion of the following report language: 

“The Committee recognizes the importance of high-quality teacher preparation on student learning and teacher retention, and therefore directs the Secretary to prioritize grants to eligible institutions that propose to establish or scale up high-quality teacher preparation pathways that offer extensive preservice clinical training and mentoring by exemplary teachers in grade and subject areas deemed high need by their state. The Committee also recognizes the value of a teacher workforce that looks like the students they serve and directs the Secretary to prioritize grants to eligible institutions that commit to increasing the diversity of our educator workforce by providing scholarships or grants, based on financial need, as well as academic supports to help teacher candidates successfully complete the preparation program and state licensure requirements, and to publicly report on these efforts and outcomes.” 

Increasing Congress’ investment beyond the highly appreciated investments made in the last four fiscal years would provide key funding to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to provide increased and enhanced clinical experience and increased financial aid to prospective teachers of color, who face higher burdens in college access and affordability than their White peers.  

In FY26, Congress should allocate at least $45M for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Grant Program. 

Supporting College Students 

Increase funding for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program 

Despite the gains made in high school graduation rates over the past several decades, the fact remains that only 6 in 10 students earn a college degree after six years of undergraduate study, and Black and Hispanic individuals have a lower rate of degree attainment than their White and Asian-American peers. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this problem: undergraduate enrollment has declined by 2.4% since 2020. These challenges present the possibility of long-term negative effects on students, their families, state and national economies, and the country. 

PSSG is set apart by its evidence-based focus, and projects and funding levels are selected based on their program and evaluation design and the level of research available to validate their effectiveness, among other factors. Several comprehensive models of support have emerged, with each backed by an increasingly robust body of evidence. These models include Bottom Line, College Forward, CUNY ASAP | ACE, InsideTrack, National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University, One Million Degrees, Project QUEST, and Stay the Course. These programs have been evaluated using randomized controlled trials, which are considered the gold standard in program evaluation. The resulting strong body of evidence shows these models positively affect student outcomes such as persistence, course credit accumulation, and other leading indicators of graduation rates. Twenty-two grants have been awarded through the first two competition cycles, supporting innovative projects at colleges in ten, geographically diverse states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. 

Congress included a $45M investment in Postsecondary Student Success Grants in the FY24 omnibus and in the FY25 Continuing Resolution, and we support continued funding for the program.  

In FY26, Congress should allocate at least $55M for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program. 

Increase funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program 

Over 20 percent of undergraduate students are parents of dependent children, and within that cohort, 1.7 million are single mothers. As detailed further in this letter from organizations and individuals in support of this funding ask, including EdTrust, increasing the funding for CCAMPIS would provide child care support for approximately 100,000 more student parents, giving them access to the services they need to get to and through college. This population is increasing year after year, reaching over 5 million this year, and in a survey by the Hope Center of over 20,000 student parents, 70% indicated their current childcare provider was unaffordable. Furthermore, on average, a student parent would need to work 52 hours a week to cover child care and tuition costs at a four-year public college or university, and that the out-of-pocket costs for attending public college are markedly higher in relation to their childless peers. It is essential that Congress scale up the only program specifically designed to deliver on-campus child care to Pell-eligible student parents, which would dramatically enhance their chances of achieving educational success and financial stability. 

In FY26, Congress should allocate at least $500M for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program. 

Increase funding for HEA Title III and Title V institutions and Research and Development Infrastructure Grants 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions generate close to $15 billion in economic impact and over 134,000 jobs annually within the local and regional economies they serve. However, over a century of inequitable funding to these institutions versus their public peers has resulted in fewer resources for students and delayed investments in infrastructure and research and development. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there has been a $12 billion funding disparity between land-grant HBCUs and their non-HBCU peers just from 1987 to 2020. 

Additionally, HBCUs play a critical role in producing graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Despite representing only 3% of U.S. colleges and universities, HBCUs produce nearly 20% of all African American graduates in STEM disciplines. Hispanic-Serving Institutions have also been shown to provide strong return on investment produce for students through economic mobility. In addition to the traditional funding streams located within Titles III and V in the Higher Education Act, these institutions have also been recent recipients of Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) grants. 

In FY26, Congress should allocate at least $1.059B and $500M in discretionary funds for HEA Title III Parts A-B and Title V Parts A-B respectively, in keeping with the levels requested by respective institutional associations, and $350M for Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) grants. 

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. EdTrust looks forward to working with Congress to allocate federal funds in a way that addresses the critical equity gaps that our nation’s students from low-income backgrounds and students of color continue to face. We are happy to respond to any questions or concerns that you may have on these topics. 

Sincerely, 

Denise Forte
President and Chief Executive Officer
EdTrust