When the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted, Congress committed to fund 40 percent of the average per pupil cost for special education. A half-century later, students who depend on IDEA are still waiting for that promise to be kept. The federal share is now less than 12 percent, passing those costs off to states and localities, and shortchanging services available to all students.
Public schools provide special education services to more than 7 million students with disabilities—about 14 percent of all public school students. But our schools constantly struggle to fund special education because they don’t receive the promised federal support.
Our IDEA funding gaps tool allows you to see how much IDEA funding your state or school district receives as well as the funding gaps. Use the link below to email your Member of Congress and tell them to fully fund IDEA.
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