Archived: Statement by Judith E. Heumann, Assistant Secretary, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, on the FY 2000 Budget Request for Gallaudet University, Before the HouseSubcommittee on Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations .

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Speeches and Testimony

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Statement by

Judith E. Heumann
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Before the

U.S. House of Representatives
Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education

On the

Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Request
for Gallaudet University

March 18, 1999

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

It is my pleasure to appear before you to present the President's fiscal year 2000 budget request for Gallaudet University, which is one of the Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities.

Gallaudet University provides specialized programs and services to students who are deaf. The Department helps ensure that the University provides services and programs in compliance with the requirements of its authorizing legislation and that these activities meet the needs of the students for whom they are intended.

I would like to take a few minutes to summarize the budget request and to comment on several key issues. Then Dr. Jordan will provide specific testimony in support of the budget request for the University.

BUDGET REQUEST

The total budget request for the Special Institutions is $142.02 million. Within this amount, our request includes $85.12 million for Gallaudet University. The Department is pleased to be able to provide support for this important program, and for the children and adults who are deaf who benefit from Gallaudet's programs and services.

OPERATIONS AND INITIATIVES

The Department's request of $85.12 million for Gallaudet University is an increase of $1.64 million or 2 percent more than the fiscal year 1999 appropriation level. The fiscal year 2000 request also would retain $2.48 million that was included in the fiscal year 1999 appropriation for a one-time project to complete a campus-wide upgrade of the University's electronic mail and management information systems that was started in fiscal year 1998. The combination of the proposed increase in funding of $1.64 million above the 1999 appropriation level and the $2.48 million for special projects retained from 1999 will provide a $1.62 million increase above the 1999 operations level of $81 million and $2.5 million for construction projects related to the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. The increase for operations would help offset the effect of inflation.

ENDOWMENT GRANT

The Department has not included a separate request for the endowment grant program for Gallaudet University. As in previous years, our request would provide Gallaudet the flexibility to use current-year program funds for its endowment grant program. The University would have the discretion to determine whether and how much of the appropriation to use for matching purposes. However, Gallaudet currently expects to match $1 million at the fiscal year 2000 budget request level. The Department believes that the endowment grant program helps promote the financial independence of Gallaudet University and provides a permanent and increasing source of funds for special projects.

CONSTRUCTION FUNDS

The Department has included a separate request of $2.5 million for renovation of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) facilities. The MSSD academic and dormitory buildings are over 20 years old and have begun to deteriorate badly. An indoor air-quality assessment of the MSSD's residence halls, commissioned by Gallaudet in 1997, revealed high concentrations of bacteria and fungi in the buildings. The University is using approximately $3 million in physical plant and deferred maintenance funds in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 to renovate four of the six residence halls, including decontaminating walls, ceilings, carpets, and the entire heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC), and replacing the humidity control systems in each building. Of the two remaining residence halls, it has been determined that one of the halls has severe structural damage and the other is in need of complete renovation. In addition, there are concerns that the main MSSD education facility may have similar HVAC problems. The University estimates that the cost of demolishing the one residence hall, renovating the sixth hall, and preparing engineering studies for the educational facility will cost $2.5 million.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The Department continues to work closely with Gallaudet University to monitor and update its Annual Program Performance Plans to comply with the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). The plan for the University includes the key performance measures the Department believes are appropriate for inclusion in the GPRA plans. Gallaudet has additional measures that are not included in the annual performance plans submitted to Congress that the University uses to oversee its internal operations, and the Department uses for monitoring purposes.

A major objective of Gallaudet University is to optimize the number of students completing programs of study at the University and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). The University has set enrollment targets for the University level programs and for the demonstration schools. Of major importance to Gallaudet are graduation rates for undergraduate students and for MSSD students. The fiscal year 1998 graduation rate for undergraduate students was 41 percent and for MSSD the rate was 93 percent. The University has reevaluated its retention strategies and is instituting initiatives to improve graduation rates. In fiscal year 2000, the University projects that the undergraduate rate will increase to 42 percent and the MSSD rate will increase to 94 percent.

We are pleased with the efforts Gallaudet has made in working with the Department to develop and track measures vitally important to the mission of the University.

EDUCATION OF THE DEAF ACT

The Higher Education Act (HEA) Amendments of 1998 reauthorized the Education of the Deaf Act (EDA). Some of the major amendments to the EDA include: making Gallaudet subject to the new mediation requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; broadening the financial audit requirements to include the University's compliance with specific sections of the EDA; increasing the limit on enrollment of international students from 10 to 15 percent of total enrollment; and increasing the tuition surcharge for international students from 90 percent to 100 percent, beginning with school year 1999-2000. The Amendments also added a requirement for Gallaudet to establish and disseminate priorities for deafness-related research, development and demonstration activities through a public process and to submit an annual research report to the Secretary and the authorizing committees of each house of Congress. In addition, the Amendments made several changes to the endowment grant provisions of the EDA. For example, the Amendments eliminated a provision requiring the University to match $2 in non-Federal funds for each $1 in Federal funds received in excess of $1 million in a given fiscal year. The Department is generally very pleased with these changes to the EDA legislation.

In fiscal year 2000, the Department plans to continue to work closely with Gallaudet University to ensure that Federal funds are being used efficiently and effectively to expand educational opportunities for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

My colleagues and I will be happy to respond to any questions you may have.

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Last Updated -- March 18, 1999(mjj)