BY JANE GIBSON NATT

President Clinton’s fiscal year 2001 budget released today includes a nearly $300 million increase to help states and local school districts educate children with disabilities and a more than $400 million increase in Title I funds.

The proposed $6.4 billion Individuals with Disabilities Education Act appropriation increases the federal government’s contribution to the Grants to States program from the current level of roughly 12 percent to approximately 13 percent of total program costs. Under IDEA rules, the government can contribute up to 40 percent of the cost of implementing IDEA.

"It’s not what we wanted, but it’s 300 percent better than the last two years, which was zero," said Bruce Hunter, AASA director of public policy. "It’s the best starting point this administration has ever had. Their requests have been chronically low."

The total Education Department budget of $40.1 billion represents an increase of $4.5 billion, or 12.6 percent, over fiscal 2000.

ED Secretary Riley answers questions on 2001 ED budget

"This is what this budget is about—investing in programs that will make a difference in the years ahead," U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley said. "This budget continues our strong emphasis on improving Title I, reducing class size, improving teacher quality, modernizing our schools, increasing after-school opportunities, and expanding access to and paying for college."

The $8.4 billion requested for Title I grants to local educational agencies represents a $416 million increase from the previous fiscal year. ED estimates the grants will serve more than 13 million students in 46,500 schools in fiscal year 2001.

The 2001 request puts a special emphasis on accountability. Of the $8.4 billion, $250 million is targeted toward accountability, a $116 million increase over fiscal 2000. The money would be targeted toward identifying and improving weak schools through actions that range from proven reforms to school takeovers.

"We can’t keep funding year in and year out these low-performing schools," Riley said.

The department also is proposing to allocate almost $1.7 billion through the Targeted Grants formula, which provides more funding per child than the Basic Grants formula to school districts that have higher percentages of children from low-income families.

Addressing the issue of school choice, the budget requests $175 million for charter schools and $20 million for a new program called OPTIONS, which would support 40 grants to states and school districts to implement and test new approaches to public school choice. The budget provides no funding for voucher programs for private schools.

The budget also includes previously announced billion-dollar initiatives to recruit and retain teachers, expand 21^st Century Community Learning Centers, modernize schools and expand the Head Start program.

Natalie Carter Holmes, Editor