Rules change could mean more grant money for state

Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada could get millions of additional federal dollars for disadvantaged students because of the Senate's approval Wednesday of an amendment by Sen. John Ensign to consider newer population figures for certain education grants.

The Senate approved the Labor and Health and Human Services departments spending bill Wednesday, which also authorizes grant money for states to implement the No Child Left Behind act.

By a voice vote, senators approved Ensign's amendment to require the Education Department to use census numbers updated each year when it calculates money for disadvantage student programs.

"By updating our population count each year, we can better keep up with the explosive growth our schools are also experiencing," Ensign, R-Nev., said in a statement.

It was unclear this morning exactly how much extra money the change would mean for Nevada, but an Ensign spokesman said they would be "very substantial."

The Senate also approved by voice vote a second amendment that would shift $80 million from the Education Department's administrative budget to states to design and use data systems to comply with the information-gathering requirements of the No Child Left Behind act.

"We have to make sure that states have the resources to implement the requirements of the law," Ensign said.

His spokesman said the money would go toward collecting student test result data required under the law.

Meanwhile, the Senate rejected, by a 7-87 vote, Ensign's proposal for $100 million toward the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Ensign said more than 75,000 Nevada students are eligible for the after-school program but only 6,750 students now participate.

"It is cheaper to invest in these children in these after-school programs than it is to spend the money when they get into trouble in the juvenile halls and some of them end up going to prison," Ensign said on the Senate floor."These are wonderful programs."

But Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that writes the bill each year said the figure was too high.

"There will be fewer youth employment training centers, fewer NIH grants, fewer dislocated worker trainees, fewer kids in Head Start, and fewer kids in child care," Specter said. "If we restructure it with these across-the-board cuts, we will be digging into a lot of vital programs, which the subcommittee and the committee have carefully considered and crafted on what we think is balanced."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. voted against Ensign's amendment, but co-sponsored a similar amendment proposed by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Ensign also voted in favor of the Boxer amendment, but it was defeated.

Boxer's amendment was for an additional $250 million for the program, but unlike Ensign's amendment, did not take the money from other accounts.