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Do You have Ideas about IDEA?
Opportunity for Public to Demand Full Funding for Special Education
by Phil Jordan
June 24, 2002
The House Education Reform Subcommittee has a new website that asks the public for their comments about how to improve the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Committee Chairman Michael Castle (R-DE) unveiled a new website asking for recommendations from parents, teachers and others on how to strengthen and improve the federal special education law.
The committee expects to formally introduce legislation to reauthorize IDEA later this year, but questions remain as to the amount of funding that Congress will authorize. The federal government is still failing to pay its proper share of the cost of the special education mandate it gave states and communities in 1975. A bill that would have fully funded IDEA failed in Congress last year, and a new proposal has been offered that would not provide full funding for 10 years. This new web site can be an opportunity to tell Congress that IDEA must be fully funded this year, and that significant improvements to the system must accompany the new funding to ensure results for students and full support for teachers.
The new web site, "Great IDEAs," creates an opportunity for people who are most involved in special education to offer their expertise. "This website will provide a forum for educators and parents to provide input on how we can strengthen this very important law," Castle said.
The reauthorization and reform process in the House will likely concentrate on focusing IDEA on the academic achievement of special education students; reducing the paperwork burden for teachers and school officials and supporting teachers; restoring trust and reducing litigation; improving early intervention strategies; encouraging innovative approaches to parental involvement; ensuring school safety; and reforming special education finance and funding.
To submit your comments, visit http://edworkforce.house.gov/
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