CoSN CEO Keith Krueger issued the following statement on the fiscal year 2018 spending bill approved today by the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies:
 
“On behalf of America’s school district technology leaders, we are deeply disappointed by the Senate Subcommittee’s failure to fully fund the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program. The program, for which the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act provided $1.6 billion, would help equip students and schools with the needed resources to support modern educational settings.
 
“By modestly increasing funding for the program, the Subcommittee’s decision continues a disturbing trend. The House Appropriations Committee has agreed to just $500 million in program funding in FY 2018. This waning digital commitment among U.S. policymakers will affect learning experiences and outcomes in schools nationwide.
 
“We urge Congress to fully fund the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program and lift the spending caps of the Budget Control Act. These actions would advance, rather than hamper, America’s public education system and technology infrastructure.”