For Immediate Release
May 24, 2000

Washington, D.C.- "It is a wise investment of federal funds to ensure that schools accommodate students with special needs, and it is a responsibility that Congress has not adequately met," U.S. Rep. Ron Kind said today as the House passed H.R. 4055, The Full Funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

IDEA requires the federal, state and local governments to share the expense of educating children with disabilities. The federal government had set a goal of providing 40 percent of the costs of educating disabled children to states and local schools. As of now, the federal government contributes approximately 13 percent annually. Full Federal Funding of IDEA will free up local resources to meet school construction and modernization costs, reducing class size and providing quality training to teachers.

Rep. Kind stated, "Targeted funding to help schools provide a quality education for students with special needs is exactly the proper role for the federal government in education. Accordingly, we should do all we can to fund IDEA at adequate levels, but we should not use IDEA funding to hold the rest of the federal education programming hostage.

As a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Kind has said the Committee’s top priority is the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the primary piece of federal legislation affecting K-12 education, preschool, and after school programs. The ESEA expired in 1999 and was extended for one year.

Some Republican members in Congress have argued that lack of full funding for IDEA should prevent Congressional action on ESEA programs. The reauthorization of ESEA has also been stymied as Democrats and Republicans have been unable to agree on the funding method for providing assistance to schools. It is unclear how programs under the ESEA will operate if Congress does not reauthorize ESEA this year.

Rep. Kind stated, "This country has the wealth and public will to do great things on behalf of our schools. The question remains, does Congress have the will to make hard choices to support America’s commitment to education, for all our children?"

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