Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who anticipates several days of tough sledding with leaders of the nation’s historically Black colleges, said Wednesday the imminent cuts in federal spending mandated by Congress pose a “bigger issue” for the nation’s education system than for Historically Black Colleges and Universities alone.
“These are tough times, tough times,” Duncan said during a brief session with reporters ahead of the annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference, which starts today in Washington, D.C. The conference is organized by the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
“There’s nothing I can do to mitigate the impact of sequestration,” Duncan continued, referring to the across-the-board 5-percent cut in federal spending that starts next week for the government’s new fiscal year. As a result of sequestration, HBCUs will lose millions in hoped-for federal funds.
“It’s a bigger issue than HBCUs,” Duncan said. “Is education something, in tough times, we can throw away?” he asked, expressing frustration with how the nation’s overall education needs are being addressed by Congress.
Duncan echoed President Obama in citing efforts by less developed nations to strengthen their education systems, adding that “those countries are not managing their economies through sequestration. [Here,] you have a Congress that is very [out of] touch and that creates real pain.”
Duncan is scheduled to speak with HBCU leaders today. In an attempt to lower their expectations prior to the meeting, Duncan acknowledged that HBCUs face particular challenges, including a continued decline in enrollment and income from the revised criteria for his agency’s popular Parent PLUS Loan program.
