What happened to Obama promise of full special ed funding?
May 9th, 2009President’s budget proposal shows no sign of IDEA campaign pledge
Alyson Klein writes in Education Week (subscription required) that President Barack Obama’s first budget proposal would boost U.S. Department of Education spending by 2.8 percent. “But — not counting massive one-time increases in the recent economic-stimulus legislation-the plan also provides no more than level-funding for special education,” she writes.
While on the campaign trail last year, presidential candidate Obama declared his support for “fully funding” the federal government’s commitment to special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
That promise seemed to waver when Obama took office, with the White House website edging away from the commitment to “full funding” and replacing it with a promise to seek unspecified “funding” for IDEA.
And yesterday, the Obama administration appeared to dismiss the campaign promise altogether in the budget proposal by maintaining special education funding at historic levels. Yet, the disability “issues” page currently displayed on the White House website still carries a pledge to “expand funding for programs like the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) that ensure all Americans have access to the tools to succeed.”
The dispute over special education funding is a heated one that has been going on almost since the IDEA was signed into law in 1975.
The measure marked the first time children with disabilities were guaranteed a right to a public education, and included a pledge by Congress to shoulder 40 percent of the cost of educating them. That obligation has never been honored, and it’s estimated that the federal government’s current share of special education costs is less than half of what was originally promised.
Local school authorities maintain that the absence of federal financial support unfairly saddles them with the responsibility for funding a federal mandate, effectively forcing them to rob other school accounts to pay for services for kids with disabilities.
See also:
Rep. Kline introduces legislation to fully fund special education – Savage [MN] Pacer
Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) has introduced legislation calling for full funding of special education through the IDEA.
“For far too long, our nation’s schools have been waiting patiently for Congress to fulfill its promise to fully fund special education,” said Kline … “By fully funding special education, we would free up desperately needed funds schools across America could use to address their specific needs – whether it is state of the art classrooms, additional teachers, or new textbooks.”
For reference, the full text of the White House disability “issues” page is reprinted below.
Disability ProgressAppointed Kareem Dale as the first Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Actincluded a number of provisions of particular concern to people with disabilities.
- The Act included $500 million to help the Social Security Administration reduce its backlog in processing disability applications.
- The Act supplied $12.2 billion in funding to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA);
- The Act also provided $87 billion to states to bolster their Medicaid programs during the downturn; and,
- The Act provided over $500 million in funding for vocational rehabilitation services to help with job training, education and placement.The President issued an Executive Order repealing the Bush-Era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
The President signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis.The President will work to nurture a society that values the contributions of all of our citizens and residents, including the 54 million people in this country living with disabilities. While people with disabilities are integrated into society as never before, we must do more.
Strengthen Access to and Improving the Quality of Health Care
President Obama has placed comprehensive health reform at the top of his domestic policy agenda. This means providing all Americans with stable and reliable access to quality and affordable health care. He will work with Congress to build on what works-including strengthening Medicaid and Medicare, programs that are of particular importance to people with disabilities.
Promote Access to Community Living Services
Too many people who need assistance with activities of every day life are faced with a difficult choice. They can move into a nursing home and face safety and quality of care problems or risk injury or death by staying in the community without adequate services to take care of personal needs. The President believes that more can be done to encourage states to shift more of their services away from institutions and into the community, which is both cost effective and humane.
Protect Civil Rights
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark law that has done much to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. However, President Obama will push for more consistent and effective enforcement of ADA, which can do more to prevent discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations and telecommunications.
Expand Educational Opportunities
President Obama supports educational opportunities for people with disabilities and will expand funding for programs like the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) that ensure all Americans have access to the tools to succeed.
Increase Access to Employment
President Obama is committed to expanding access to employment by having the federal government lead by example in hiring people with disabilities; enforcing existing laws; providing technical assistance and information on accommodations for people with disabilities; removing barriers to work; and increasing employment opportunities for people receiving public benefits.
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