Collins urges Congress to fully fund special education

WASHINGTON – Joining school administrators, Sen. Susan Collins reiterated longtime support Thursday for making sure that Washington provides full funding to federally mandated programs that help students with disabilities learn to their full potential.

At a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday morning held to unveil a survey on public support for such programs, the Maine Republican said that while schools across the country are required by federal law to provide special assistance to disabled students, Congress has repeatedly failed to live up to its obligation to fund 40 percent of the costs as mandated by the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

IDEA authorized Congress to cover 40 percent of all costs associated with the special learning needs of disabled children, but over the past 26 years lawmakers have provided less than half of that amount.

The funding gap forces public schools to divide scarce resources between programs for disabled children and programs, books and supplies needed by all students, according to Collins.

“This is the practical reality with very small towns, when special needs children move into the community,” Collins said. “[If] the federal government keeps its commitment, it frees funding for children without disabilities, and reduces the unfortunate resentment you feel in communities when a family with a special needs child comes to town.

“Congress made a commitment to provide federal funding to assist states in achieving the principles that disabled children are entitled to receive a free and appropriate public education and that to the maximum extent possible, children with disabilities should be educated alongside their non-disabled peers,” she said.

Bolstering Collins’ argument, the American Association of School Administrators unveiled a national survey at the press conference, which found that 84 percent of the 800 respondents oppose using general school funding to pay for programs solely aimed at helping disabled children, while 75 percent of Americans support the federal government providing the maximum amount of funding, as stated in the legislation.

“This poll clearly demonstrates that Americans want Congress to recognize that American schools can no longer favor one child’s hopes and dreams over those of another,” said Dr. Paul Houston, AASA executive director. “For 26 years, Congress has forced state and local governments to choose between disabled children and non-disabled children.”

The bipartisan Laszlo/Luntz poll also found that a solid majority prefer separate federal funding for special needs programs and that they support using healthcare budgets by a margin of 2 to 1 to cover expenses associated with aiding disabled students, rather than using education funding for these purposes.