House committee urges full funding of IDEA

NSBA applauded the measure as a step in the right direction. The bill is non-binding. Even if it is enacted, Congress still would have to appropriate the money through a separate funding bill.

When IDEA was first signed into law, Congress promised to contribute 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure to help states and local schools with the extra costs of educating children with disabilities. Several bills have been proposed over the years to fully fund the federal commitment to IDEA, but the federal share has generally remained at about 12 percent.

"I think that before we create new programs out of Washington, Congress needs to ensure that the federal government lives up to the promise it made to students, parents, and schools more than two decades ago," says committee Chair William Goodling (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill with Rep. Matthew Martinez (D-Calif.). "If we had kept our promise, school districts would have the funds necessary to build new schools, hire new teachers, reduce class size, and buy new computers."

The Congressional Research Service estimates that more than $15 billion would be needed to fully fund Part B of IDEA, the committee notes. The fiscal year 2000 appropriation for IDEA is $4.9 billion, leaving states and school districts with an unfunded mandate of more than $10 billion.

Reproduced with permission from the May 2, 2000, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2000, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.