Funding for special education, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) increased significantly.  The new legislation will provide $6.34 billion for IDEA in 2001, an increase of $1.34 billion.  Earlier this year, Moran wrote letters to House and Senate leaders and the President, and spoke on the House floor, encouraging more federal funding for IDEA. 

“25 years ago, Congress mandated that states provide free public education to all children with disabilities and agreed to pay 40 percent of the cost, but they have never come close to fulfilling that promise,” Moran said.  “During my time in the State Senate and now in Congress, we have struggled to adequately fund the education of Kansas children.  We are now making progress by increasing IDEA funding by 111 percent in just the last four years.”

The legislation also includes additional assistance for college-bound students with increases in the Pell Grant, TRIO and Perkins Loan programs.  The maximum Pell Grant has been increased to $3,750, the highest maximum grant in the history of the program.  Funding for the TRIO program, for minority and disadvantaged students, was increased by $85 million over last year.  The budget agreement also will include $60 million for Perkins Loan cancellations. 

“While education begins at home and funding and control of education is primarily a local and state issue, the federal government does have a role to play,” Moran said.  “When the federal government creates a mandate, it must fund that mandate and work to make certain that educational opportunities are available for all.”

“Education is the cornerstone of our state’s future,” Moran concluded.  “More than any other area of public policy, how well we educate our children today will have a profound effect on the quality of life in Kansas for the century to come.  We must ensure that we are providing our children with the tools they need to learn, grow and lead our state in the next century.” 

For more information contact Travis Murphy at (202) 225-2715.