Educators and members of Congress want the federal government to cover 40 percent of the additional cost of a disabled student’s education, based on the language in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, first passed in 1975 and amended last year. The actual wording of the law states that 40 percent of the national average per-pupil expenditure is the maximum amount a state may receive.
Maximum Amounts--The maximum amount of the grant a state may receive under this section for any fiscal year is: (A) The number of children with disabilities in the state who are receiving special education and related services--
(ii) aged 6 through 21; multiplied by
(B) 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. |
SOURCE: Section 611, IDEA Amendments of 1997.
