[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E623]]
INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION ON INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT FUNDING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleagues to 
introduce a resolution calling on the President and Congress to fully 
fund the federal government's obligation under the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act.
  In 1975, Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children 
Act, commonly known as P.L. 94-142. The Act built upon previous 
legislation to mandate that all States provide a Free Appropriate 
Public Education (FAPE) to all disabled children by 1978. It also 
established the federal commitment to provide funding aid at 40% of the 
average per pupil expenditure to assist with the excess costs of 
educating students with disabilities. Historically, however, the 
appropriations for IDEA have not come close to reaching the 40% level. 
Federal funding has never risen above 12% of the cost. As a result, 
local schools and States are picking up the tab for an additional 28% 
above their fair share of special education costs.
  As a former Governor, I have a unique understanding of special 
education funding and the tremendous burden this unfunded mandate 
places on schools. Local school districts spend on average 20 percent 
of their budgets on special education. Put simply, local schools are 
expected to pay much more than their fair share. This needs to change. 
If the federal government fulfilled its special education obligation 
for local schools, Washington would not have to step in to address 
issues such as class size reduction and building new school buildings. 
These decisions could be left up to local school districts who better 
understand the dynamics and needs of their students. This is precisely 
why the federal government must fulfill the commitment it made in 1975.
  In Delaware, for instance, our largest school district, the Christina 
School District, currently receives $800,000 per year in special 
education funding. The federal commitment is to pay Christina School 
District $4.4 million. This means that if we fulfilled our commitment, 
Christina School District would have an additional $3.3 million to 
focus on the needs of their students and teachers. The entire State of 
Delaware, if special education were fully funded, would receive an 
additional $24.8 million. This is a tremendous amount of money, that is 
desperately needed by local schools in order to reduce class size, 
build and modernize schools, and implement technology into education. 
If the federal government fulfills its commitment to fund 40% of 
special education costs, States and schools across the nation would 
have the opportunity to focus their funds on the unique and 
individualized needs of their schools.
  The Republican Congress has worked to increase special education 
funding. Since 1995, IDEA funding has increased by over 85%. This is an 
increase of approximately $1.4 billion. Congress now needs to garner 
the support of the President and the Administration to make IDEA 
funding a priority for our nation's schools.

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