To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Congress: Fund Special Ed under IDEA
Call on Congress to fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to cover 40% of the true cost of Special Education as it originally committed to do under that law. The IDEA and Special Education have helped countless students reach their potential, but to finance it states, cities and towns have to cut other services or raise property taxes on families and seniors. By fully funding its 40% share of the IDEA, Congress would help kids, support public education, strengthen the fiscal condition of cities and towns, and protect working families and seniors from local tax increases.
Why is this important?
As a parent with children in public school, I've watched my town struggle to balance its budget to cope with rising enrollment, health insurance, energy and special education costs. The only options are to cut other services or raise property taxes. Congress passed legislation to mandate special education but never appropriated enough funds to pay the 40% federal share, pushing the cost down to the state and local levels.