Special Education

Special Education Reauthorization Could Harm Budgets, States Fear

By Lisa Goldstein — March 03, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

States’ education representatives say they fear the reauthorization of the main federal special education law that may make its way to the Senate floor next month will test already tightly stretched state budgets.

A coalition of advocacy groups said the proposed reauthorization would spell out more demands on states, yet would not provide enough federal aid, which would bring about the same problems the states face in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act.

“The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is like NCLB redux,” said David Shreve, an education lobbyist for the National Conference of State Legislatures. “They are asking for state money for federal programs.”

The coalition, which includes the NCSL, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the National Association of State Boards of Education, and the Council of Chief State School Officers, held a press briefing here last week to outline problems for states under the IDEA version pending in the Senate. The House passed its version of the bill April 30.

Even if the bill received “full funding” from the federal government, according to the group, it would still not be enough. One amendment expected to be heard on the Senate floor calls for reaching full funding over the course of several years.

When the law was first passed in 1975, Congress said the federal government would channel into special education as much as 40 percent of the national average of per-pupil spending. Many advocates for special education see the 40 percent level as a promise and refer to it as “full funding.” Others view it as the uppermost limit. The federal government has never reached the 40 percent mark and currently covers 18 percent of special education spending.

Growing Demand

As demands on states have grown for more data collection on and assessment of students with disabilities, the amount of IDEA money states are permitted to set aside for those purposes has shrunk, coalition members said.

The 1997 amendments to the IDEA allowed states to set aside 25 percent of their special education grants that year for state activities, plus an increase based on inflation each year thereafter. Since then, because IDEA federal funding has increased at a rate far surpassing the rate of inflation, the average state’s share of funds available for state activities has diminished to about 8 percent of their total IDEA funds, said Jordan Cross, the manager of federal- state relations for the CCSSO. The Senate version of the IDEA bill would set that level at 10 percent. But the House version maintains the current formula, the advocates said.

Meanwhile, the requirements for training special education teachers remain a hot issue.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all teachers, including special education ones, be certified in the core subjects they teach. That goal is unrealistic for special education teachers, who are often certified in special education but may teach multiple core subjects, some educators say.

The Senate’s IDEA bill attempts to clarify the rules for special education teachers by establishing separate requirements for new elementary, middle and secondary teachers, teachers who provide consultation to other teachers, and veteran teachers. The House version would require special education teachers to be highly qualified in the core subjects they teach.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Video Inside an Inclusive Classroom: How Two Teachers Work Together
This model for inclusive education benefits students of all abilities, and the teachers instructing them.
1 min read
Special Education Using Technology for Students in Special Education: What the Feds Want Schools to Know
Assistive technology can improve outcomes for students in special education, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
4 min read
Black students using laptop in the lab with white female teacher- including a female student with special needs.
E+/Getty
Special Education Q&A Schools Should Boost Inclusion of Students With Disabilities, Special Olympics Leader Says
Schools have work to do to ensure students with intellectual and developmental disabilities feel a sense of belonging, Tim Shriver said.
6 min read
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver greets a child at one of the organization’s events.
Courtesy of Special Olympics
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on the Science of Reading for Students with Disabilities
This Spotlight will empower you with strategies to apply the science of reading to support students with learning differences and more.