Five technology-specific programs totaling $144.5 million are among the 45 education programs scheduled for termination in President Bush's 2004 budget request, which he sent to Congress Feb. 3.

Bush's 2004 budget called for an overall increase of $2.4 billion at ED, but schools and colleges still await current-year funding as Congress continues to wrangle over the 2003 budget.

The president's FY 2004 budget would cut several technology-specific programs such as Community Technology Centers ($32.5 million), Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology ($62.5 million), Ready to Teach ($12 million), Regional Technology in Education Consortia ($10 million), and Star Schools ($27.5 million).

These programs also were slated for the ax in Bush's 2003 budget request.

Overall, the president's $2.23 trillion budget for the 2004 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, provides $53 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (ED)—the "largest dollar increase for any domestic agency," according to Education Secretary Rod Paige.

"But we also are proposing to spend our education dollars more wisely. In these times of tight budgets and accountability, we can no longer continue to fund programs that simply are not helping students achieve," Paige said during a briefing with reporters.

Along with the proposed cuts, the president's 2004 budget requests a $1 billion increase for Title I, $1 billion more for programs funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and a $1.9 billion increase for Pell Grants to help low-income students afford a college education.

"These three increases [constitute] about one-third of the new domestic discretionary dollars the president is seeking for his entire domestic agenda. No other domestic agency has three programs receiving such monumental increases," Paige said.

When the $1.5 billion in cuts are factored in, the department's overall budget would increase by $2.4 billion. Still, critics say this amount falls short of what is needed to meet the stringent demands of Bush's signature education reform law, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Responding to these concerns, Paige said increased funding doesn't seem to be the way to improve student achievement—but reform, flexibility, and local control are the solution.

He said previous administrations have tried to "fund [their] way out of these problems for many, many years" and yet achievement has remained flat. "We think the president's funding request is adequate, in fact, sufficient to achieve the goals of [NCLB]," he said.

"This is about change, and sometimes the color of change isn't always green," added William D. Hansen, deputy secretary of education, who serves as ED's chief operating officer and the principal adviser to Paige on programs, policies, management, and budget matters.

Paige said the fact that all states submitted their accountability plans by the Jan. 31 deadline shows that NCLB can work. "Here and there you hear a little chattering, but state leaders are working hard to accomplish the goals of [NCLB]," he said.