Via NCSD’s March 2022 newsletter.
The new Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) funding notice was released in the Federal Register, and it includes some important diversity-related provisions – a strong focus on supporting voluntary or mandatory desegregation plans, encouraging inter-district and whole school magnets, and coordination with housing and transportation agencies (including HUD’s public housing redevelopment programs).
Senator Chris Murphy and Representative Joe Courtney (both of Connecticut) released the “Magnet Schools Accessibility, Growth, and Non-exclusionary Enrollment Transformation Act of 2022,” which would increase magnet school funding and lock in many of the strong policy elements in the current funding notice (or “NOFA”) that the Department of Education has the discretion to include, but which other administrations have the discretion to ignore. The proposed bill would also include a supplemental funding stream for continuation funding of magnet schools that perform well in achieving the program’s goals. See what Magnet Schools of America had to say about the bill.
The 2022 budget was passed in both the Senate and House, with a $15 million increase in MSAP funding (to $124 million).
Although the Fostering Diverse Schools grants did not make it into the final FY 22 budget bill, Congress instructed (see pg. 123) the Department to prioritize capacity building and technical assistance funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program (SSAE) to state and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) seeking to create and sustain integration. We were also happy to see Fostering Diverse Schools in the FY 23 budget request (see pg. 58)…stay tuned!
Comments are closed.