Key Education Groups Make Plea for Special Education

The NEA, the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Boards Association have vowed to hold Congress accountable for adequately funding special education.

House and Senate education bill conferees will meet July 19 to iron out a compromise. The three education groups made a plea to conferees to include full funding for special education in the final version of the bill.

"This is an historic opportunity to make good on the federal promise to ensure a quality education for all students, including those with special needs," said NEA President Bob Chase.

Guaranteed full funding for special education passed in the Senate version and demonstrates a bipartisan commitment to help every child achieve.

A similar provision was not included in the House version. "Under the Senate version, school districts will no longer have to choose between making needed school repairs or updating equipment and providing quality special education," Chase said.

Current federal appropriations fall short of the federal government's commitment to help meet the cost of educating students with disabilities.

The federal share is supposed to be 40 percent, but only about 15 percent is actually funded. The Senate bill would "ramp up" investments over six years to the level promised when the program was developed almost 30 years ago.

To see how IDEA funding to your state or Congressional
District would increase under the Senate version of ESEA, visit
www.nea.org/lac.