Proposed federal budget cuts threaten after-school programs
Leaders say Trump official who questioned effectiveness of such efforts is off-base
Camden Jamison’s favorite time at Magnolia Elementary in Pearland ISD is after school, when the 10-year-old and more than 90 others gather each day to do homework, science experiments and Camden’s favorite: dodgeball.
If the after-school program ended, Camden would be devastated. “I’d quit school,” he said. “It wouldn’t be fun just to come to school and leave.”
But the Magnolia Elementary after-school program and 127 others in the Houston area are in danger of losing funds after President Donald Trump’s proposed budget called for eliminating the grant that funds them.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is the largest single funding stream for after-school programs in Texas and could be slashed as the president seeks to shrink the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by 13.5 percent, or $9 billion. Such 21st Century Community Learning Centers serve more than 103,000 students across Texas and in fiscal year 2016 received about $103 million from the federal government for programs aimed at helping mostly poor kids.
Those proposed cuts also put several other popular initiatives in jeopardy, including the Supporting Effective Instruction program that gives states money to better recruit and train educators for high-need schools. Another is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, which provides $732 million to college students on a needs basis.
In explaining cuts to after-
school programs, White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said there’s no evidence the targeted programs help kids.
“There’s no demonstrable evidence they’re actually helping results, helping kids do better in school …,” said Mulvaney. “The way we justified it was, these programs are going to help these kids do better in school and get better jobs. And we can’t prove that that’s happening.”
But Kam Marvel, a senior project director for the Communities in Schools nonprofit that operates about 20 of the grant-funded programs in the southeast Houston area, said that is simply not the case.
In the 10 after-school programs he oversees, more than a third of students who stayed in it for two years saw improved attendance records, according to an independent audit. More than a quarter of students in the program for two years saw improved test scores in math, science and social studies, while nearly 40 percent saw their reading scores improve.
And for high school students across the state, participation in an ACE program increased the likelihood of being promoted to the next grade level by 97 percent, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Marvel said the nonprofit selects schools for its programs based on need, and works with teachers and administrators on those campuses to identify kids who are falling behind academically or behaviorally.
“For a lot of those kids, we feel like we’re the difference,” he said. “Offering 15 additional hours of education a week improves the chances of passing the test and increases exposure to certified teachers.”
It’s much more than an after-school program where kids romp around, Marvel said. The first hour is spent on homework, while the second hour sees some kids get extra tutoring while others do academic activities like science experiments, learning math through cooking and doing art projects related to social studies, all of which are aligned to Texas’ learning standards. The third hour is less structured: some kids can do sports or non-academic clubs or music while others learn about conflict resolution and college.
Texas has among the most stringent requirements and academic goals for it’s after school programs, Marvel said. While the federal government grants Texas a lump sum, the Texas Education Agency is responsible for selecting grantees and setting up requirements.
All of the schools must have a high percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. Programs must be focused on academic items. Programs that help larger numbers of students who have experienced trauma, homelessness or the foster care system are more likely to receive the grant.
“I can understand the misperception and people lumping Texas in with everyone else,” Manvel said. “Some states have soft outcomes. In New York, a study will show an increase of participation in fine arts, but we have 30 percent improvement in math STAAR scores.”
Schools have to match part of the grant money, and at the Communities in Schools programs the schools match about 20 percent of the funds. But Manvel said this year, about 30 schools applied for 10 programs his nonprofit would open.
Nathalie Jamison, Camden’s mother, said she’s glad Magnolia was among the lucky ones. Because Camden and his 7-year-old sister Raelin can stay late, Jamison has more flexibility to take nursing classes and study.
She frets about a potential funding cut. “I believe it would be detrimental to children. It would strip away opportunities for them,” Jamison said.