Legislation Calls For Full Funding

Of Special Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., introduced legislation that would obligate the federal government to provide school districts and communities with more funds for special education. The bill calls on the federal government to fully fund its share of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which improves special education opportunities and early intervention for youth with disabilities.

“We should provide our disabled children with the road to opportunity – not a dead end street littered with broken promises,” Sen Dodd said. “This initiative will help ensure that we do everything in our power to ensure that the federal government does its fair share when it comes to ensuring the best education possible for children with special needs.”

Currently, the federal government does not meet the financial obligations for special education it committed to in 1975 when IDEA first passed Congress. This shortfall places a financial burden on many local communities, which must find alternate resources, such as higher property taxes, to fund special education. Sen Dodd’s bill would reach the full federal funding commitment for IDEA by fiscal year 2001.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a civil rights statute that provides funding to states and helps states fulfill their constitutional obligation to provide public education for all children with disabilities. IDEA serves more than six and a half million children today.