For More Information Contact:
Leslie Jackson, AOTA, 301-652-2682
Paul Marchand, The Arc, 202-783-2229
Katy Beh Neas, ES, 202-347-3066
Steve Spector, CHADD, 301-306-7070
Jane West, HECSE/TED, 202-289-3903
www.c-c-d.org
June 15, 2004
Dear Appropriator,
On behalf of the undersigned member organizations of the Education Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), we seek your support for critical funding increases for programs for children with disabilities administered by the Department of Education. These programs assist states to address the unmet needs for early intervention, education and other support services for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities, their teachers, service providers and their families.
CCD is comprised of more than 100 national organizations that promote the full participation of people with disabilities in society. The Education Task Force is made up of more than 50 of those organizations that are especially dedicated to ensuring that children with disabilities have full access to education at all levels – early childhood (Birth-5), K-12 and higher education.
While we recognize that there are many fiscal challenges facing you and your colleagues, fully funding Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is paramount to ensuring all students, not just students with disabilities, receive quality services in our nation’s public schools. States are required by the Constitution to educate all students with disabilities. In 1975, Congress enacted IDEA to assist them in carrying out this responsibility. Since then, Congress has provided funding that totals about 19 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities, although they authorized that 40 percent of the cost be funded at the federal level. It is time for Congress to honor its promise to the states.
In addition, funding for Part C, the Infants and Toddlers Program, Part B's Section 619 preschool program, and Part D, IDEA support programs, are woefully underfunded. States have increased the number of infants and toddlers and their families served under Part C by 47% from 1998 to 2002, the last year for which data are available. However, Part C has not received funding increases that support this growth. In fact, small increases to Part C over the past several years, while greatly appreciated, have not even kept up with inflation. Appropriations for the 619 preschool program have not increased since FY’00 and have been cut each of the last 2 years. Moreover, the number of preschool children continues to grow each year causing the per child federal allocation to decrease. In FY’03, states received a meager $599 per child from the IDEA preschool program. In Fiscal 1989, this allocation was $769.
The IDEA Part D support programs provide the critical infrastructure, training, research, and development functions necessary to drive improvements in all aspects of special education practice. The support programs provide critical funds for professional development, technical assistance, and dissemination of knowledge about promising practices, to improve results for children with disabilities. However, despite the importance of these programs, their funding has remained level, or has even been cut, in recent years. Significant increases are critical to ensure high quality services are provided to all students with disabilities.
Please find attached a table outlining our recommended funding levels for the Department of Education programs. We urge you to take into consideration how increased funding can improve the lives of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children. By increasing support of programs for students with disabilities, your investment can help support the independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of students with disabilities in our communities. Therefore, we urge you to prioritize support for these effective programs that serve individuals with disabilities.
We urge your leadership in maintaining and improving the services and supports provided to students with disabilities. Please feel free to contact us at any time. Thank you for all you do to ensure that all children are given every opportunity to learn and thrive in our public schools.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Council of the Blind
American Counseling Association
American Dance Therapy Association
American Foundation for the Blind
American Music Therapy Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Autism Society of America
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders
Council for Exceptional Children
Council for Learning Disabilities
Division of Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Easter Seals
Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Helen Keller National Center
Higher Education Consortium for Special Education
IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association
NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Coalition on Deaf-Blindness
National Down Syndrome Society
National PTA
National Rehabilitation Association
School Social Work Association of America
Spina Bifida Association of America
TASH
Teacher Education Division, Council for Exceptional Children
The Arc of the United States
United Cerebral Palsy