The budget cuts for the U.S. Department of Education were handed down recently and, while they did reduce the department's allocated funds, the slashes were not as ample as many expected.
Overall, the department's funding was cut to $68.5 billion, which is roughly $1.3 billion less than 2010's figure. Originally, the proposed budget bill aimed to reduce the department's spending by nearly $10 billion. Among the areas that were expected to be cut were the department’s education technology state grants, which the agency used to make students technologically literate by eighth grade.
In the past, schools receiving grants from the department often adopted new devices, such as smartboards, high-tech computers and HDMI projectors in their classrooms.
Recently, the department issued significant grants to various states, including nearly $40 million to Ohio for technological upgrades and more than $8 million to Kentucky to boost its low-achieving schools' teaching and learning capabilities. In addition to the DoE, several major companies throughout the country have also issued grants, such as Lowe's and Wells Fargo.
