special education; full
federal funding
DP |
Committee on Education |
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DP |
Caucus and COW |
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DP |
As Passed the House |
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As Transmitted to the Secretary of State |
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HCM 2001 requests that the President and Congress provide the full 40 per cent federal funding for special education programs authorized under federal law.
As part of the final recommendations from the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Special Education and Regulation (Laws 1999, Chapter 67), HCM 2001 requests that the President and Congress provide the full 40 per cent federal funding for special education programs authorized under federal law.
The Education of the Handicapped Act, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandated a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting for all children. The federal legislation provides grants to state education agencies based on the number of disabled children ages 3-21 in the state – up to 12 per cent of the total school age population. The student count is then multiplied by 40 per cent of the national average per pupil expenditure on special education to arrive at each state’s maximum grant.
Recent estimates show that the federal funding is at approximately 12 per cent, rather than the 40 per cent authorized by the federal law. Arizona’s estimated FY 2001 IDEA grant is $76.9 million. If the IDEA grant program was funded by Congress at the 40% level, Arizona’s estimated FY 2001 IDEA grant would be $228.2 million – an increase of federal funding of 197% (State Policy Reports, Vol 18, Issue 9, May 2000).