Phil English's Voting Record on Education
new! Voted to Eliminate Department of Education
In 1995, English voted for the FY 1996 House Budget Resolution that called for the elimination of the Department of Education. The budget passed 238 to 193. H Con Res 67, Vote #345, 5/18/95; Washington Post, 5/26/95
new! Supported Cutting Education Initiatives Like Head Start by Millions of Dollars
In 2005, English voted against an effort to strip a 1% across-the-board cut to all "discretionary" programs that had been attached to the FY 2006 defense spending bill.
The provision included a $28 million cut to Title I that would leave behind 160,000 needy children. The measure also cut special education by $7 million and Head Start by $69 million, resulting in 9,500 children being expelled from Head Start classrooms. Senate Committee on Appropriations Minority Staff, 12/19/05
The vote failed 183-231. HR2863, Vote #668, 12/19/05
new! Supported Cutting Head Start Enrollment
In 2003, English voted in favor of legislation to reauthorize the Head Start Act, including provisions that would weaken the program.
The Republican Head Start bill started to dismantle the high-quality federal standards and comprehensive services that have made Head Start the premiere early childhood education program for American toddlers.
At the time, funding only allowed three out of five eligible children to be served. And yet, instead of expanding Head Start to serve more children, the Republican bill froze funding levels in real terms and ultimately cut enrollment in Head Start for the first time in history.
The bill also created a block grant that specified no minimum for class size, child-teacher ratios or curriculum effectiveness.
The bill passed 217-216. HR 2210, Vote #444, 7/24/03
new! Opposed Increase for Special Education, Teacher Quality Programs
In 2003, English voted in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003, which increased funding for the IDEA special education programs.
The bill included a $3.2 billion increase for education programs over the FY 02 level of $49.9 billion (for a total of $53.1 billion).
Specific increases included $1.4 billion increases for Title I (for a total of $11.7 billion) and IDEA special education (for a total of $8.9 billion).
The bill also increased investments for Teacher Quality (increase from $2.85 billion to $2.93 billion) and Math-Science programs (increase from $12.5 million to $100.3 million).
The bill passed 338-83. HJRES 2, Vote #32, 2/13/03
new! Voted to Cut Safe and Drug-Free Schools
In 1995, English voted in favor of the Republican Rescissions bill, which eliminated $17.3 billion in funds that had already been appropriated for crime prevention and other programs. Included in this package was a $472 million cut in already appropriated funds for the Safe and Drug Free School Program.
This Republican proposal would have effectively ended this federal program to help communities keep their kids away from drugs.
The bill passed 227-200. HR 1158, Vote #251, 3/16/95
Also in 1995, English voted in favor of an appropriations bill that cut the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program by 60 percent, depriving more than 39 million students of anti-drug programs and counseling services.
The bill passed 219-208. HR 2127, Vote #626, 8/04/95
new! Supported the Largest Cuts to Federal Student Aid in History
In 2006, English voted in favor of legislation to cut mandatory spending programs by $39.7 billion over the next five years.
The measure cut $12.7 billion from student loan programs - the largest single cut in history.
It imposed higher fees on students, increased the interest rate on parent loans and cut subsidies to lenders.
The bill also put billions of dollars in student aid at risk by cutting all of the critical funds ($2.2 billion) used to carry out and administer the student aid programs. House Budget Committee Minority Staff, "Key Provisions in the Conference Report on the Republican Spending Reconciliation Bill." 12/19/05; Rep. George Miller Press Release, 12/18/05; CQ Today, 2/01/06; Washington Post, 2/01/06
The measure passed 216-214. HRS 653, Vote #4, 2/01/06
new! Opposed Funding for Pell Grant Awards
English has voted against critical funding for student financial aid programs like the Pell Grant.
Opposed Additional Funds for Pell Grants
In 2005, English voted against a motion to add an additional $7.8 billion to the funding bill for education programs.
The proposal included $3 billion more for Title I reading and math services for nearly 1 million additional low-income students and $1.9 billion more for Pell Grants, in order to increase the maximum Pell Grant by an additional $450 - raising it to $4,550 (the GOP bill raised it only by $50 - from the current $4,050 to $4,100).
The alternative proposal also added $1.56 billion more for special education and $939 million more for after-school centers, child care and Head Start centers.
The motion failed 185-216. HR 3010, Vote #320, 6/24/05
new! Supported Pell Grant Award Cuts
In 2003, English voted in favor of a budget resolution that provided for $1.3 trillion in tax cuts over ten years, while cutting programs for children and public education by $38 billion over ten years below the amount needed to maintain current service levels.
It provided virtually no increase for education programs overall and cut funding for No Child Left Behind programs by $1 billion (from $23.8 billion to $22.8 billion).
In addition, the House Budget eliminated 46 education programs (such as Rural Education, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology), cut the after school program by 40 percent (or $400 million), and reduced the maximum Pell Grant award (from $4,050 to $4,000).
The budget passed 215-212. HCR 95, Vote #82, 3/20/03