Press Statement of ISTE and CoSN on FY05 Budget

“ISTE and CoSN, who collectively represent tens of thousands of educators nationwide, are extremely disappointed by the Administration’s proposals to eliminate a number of critical and longstanding federal programs that support pre-service teacher technology training, distance learning and community technology access. The proposed deletion of funding for three key programs – Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology, Star Schools and Community Technology Centers; the elimination of the Department of Education’s technology leadership funding; and the flat funding of the education technology block grant amount to a more than $45 million loss in federal education spending over last year.

“In our view, this budget represents a major step back from the federal government’s interest in and commitment to ensuring that our nation’s educators and students gain access to the tremendous learning resources available online and the tools and skills needed to compete successfully in the 21st Century’s job market. Moreover, we steadfastly believe that education technology has a strong role to play in helping implement the key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Distance learning courses are already helping teachers to gain the accreditations necessary to qualify as highly qualified teachers and students throughout the country are going online to receive homework assistance and perform research. We urge the Administration to reverse course on the damaging education technology cuts that it has proposed and to rededicate itself to supporting all that education technology has to offer.”

ISTE is a nonprofit professional organization with a worldwide membership of leaders and potential leaders in educational technology. We are dedicated to providing leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K-12 education and teacher education. We provide our members with information, networking opportunities, and guidance as they face the challenge of incorporating computers, the Internet, and other new technologies into their schools.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a national non-profit organization, is the premier voice in education technology leadership. Our mission is to advance the K-12 education community’s capacity to effectively use technology to improve learning through advocacy, policy and leadership development. Our members represent school districts, state and local education agencies, nonprofits, companies and individuals who share our vision.

For More Information, Contact:
Jon Bernstein
(202) 478-6191