Loading....
Tell Congress to Prioritize Students with Disabilities in the FY 2025 Appropriations Bills
Congress is debating the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill that provides states and districts with funding essential to hiring teachers, counselors, specialists, and others crucial to creating positive learning environments and educating all students, including students with disabilities. Tell Congress to reject partisan cuts that hurt public schools, diminish services, and limit positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
Urge Congress to invest in IDEA and other key education programs so that states and districts can hire and train teachers, specialists, counselors, therapists, and others needed to educate students with disabilities!
Prioritize Students with Disabilities in the FY 2025 Appropriations Bills
I am writing to request that you reject partisan cuts to education that will diminish services and limit positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
It is imperative the Congress support education funding in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill to ensure states and districts have adequate funds to hire personnel and provide professional learning for teachers, counselors, specialists, and others essential to creating positive learning environments and educating all students, including students with disabilities.
Given that 80 percent of the 7.3 million students with disabilities spend more than 60 percent of their school day in general classes in regular schools, the impact of the proposed partisan cuts in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor-HHS bill would be devastating to schools and students. Any cuts to K-12 education programs will place students with disabilities at great risk of being segregated from their peers in the regular classroom and likely assure they will not receive a free, appropriate public education as required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
I appreciate you considering the following funding recommendations:
Fund IDEA Part B Sec. 611 (ages 6-21) at $16.3 B. This funding will ensure that States and districts are provided resources critical to providing specialized educational services to children with disabilities. Currently states and local school districts offset more than $31 billion annually thus, increased funding for IDEA has received bipartisan support because it helps ensure districts can address massive staffing shortages, provide training to personnel and support K-12 students' needs Most importantly, IDEA funding also helps ensure ongoing collaboration between schools and families so that students can have the same important opportunities and outcomes as their peers.
I recommend these education investments in support of students with disabilities:
IDEA: Part B Sec. 619 (ages 3-4): $503 M
IDEA: Part C (ages 0-2): $932 M
IDEA Part D – National Activities
-
- State Personnel Development Grants: $53.6 M
- Technical Assistance/Development: $55.3 M
- IDEA Personnel Preparation: $300 M
- Parent Training Information Centers: $49.2 M
- Education Technology and Media: $41.4 M
Natl. Center for Special Ed Research: $70 M
Office for Civil Rights: $178 M
Higher Education Transition Program, Students w/Intellectual Disabilities: $15.2 M
Title I (low-income schools/districts): $36.5 B
Title II (professional learning): $3 B
Thank you for considering these recommendations. Students with disabilities are counting on you to ensure all schools and districts have adequate funding through FY 2025 appropriations so they can thrive.
Your Member of Congress is currently not a target for this message. We appreciate your support and will keep you updated.
Consider donating to COPAA in support of our policy and advocacy work.
Join COPAA!
If you are not a member of COPAA, please consider joining so that you can be part of our national network that promotes and protects the civil rights of children with disabilities and their families!