Issues
Education Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Time and time again, I hear from frustrated parents, school
administrators, teachers, school board members, and others
about the need for an increase in special education funding
at the federal level. I regret that the final No Child Left
Behind Act, which the President signed into law in January
2002, did not include a provision in the Senate version of
the bill that would have provided full funding of the federal
share of the IDEA with specified, mandatory funding increases.
More recently, I was pleased to support the Senate version
of the bill reauthorizing IDEA, which the Senate passed on
May 13, 2004, the President signed the final version of this
bill into law in December 2004. I voted in favor of an amendment
to this bill that would have provided specific, mandatory
annual funding increases for the federal share of IDEA, resulting
in full funding of the 40 percent promised by the federal
government in six years. I regret this amendment failed because
the federal government has for too long failed to keep its
promise to fund 40 percent of the costs of special education.
Subsequently, I voted in favor of an alternative amendment
that requires specific annual funding increases for special
education, although it continues to leave the funding decisions
subject to the year-to-year appropriations process. I am pleased
that the Senate passed this amendment, but regret that it
did not take advantage of this opportunity to secure mandatory
funding for the federal share of special education funding.
This funding was promised to states and school districts,
and I will continue to support efforts to provide these badly
needed resources.
No
Child Left Behind Act
Student Testing
Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act
Teacher Quality
Other K-12
Education Issues
Higher
Education
Education
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