Harkin-Hagel IDEA Mandatory Full Funding Amendment

HARKIN-HAGEL IDEA MANDATORY FULL FUNDING AMENDENT

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise in strong support and as a cosponsor of the Harkin-Hagel amendment to provide mandatory full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA.

This amendment will provide mandatory increases in funding of $2.2 billion per year for the next 6 years and help us meet the needs of the approximately 6.5 million children served under IDEA.

Without full funding, we cannot realize the true promise of this law-a free, appropriate public education for all children with disabilities.

Living up to this commitment is not just an important goal; it is a necessity if we are to ensure that all children have an opportunity to succeed. Likewise, we must provide schools with the resources they need to make this happen.

When IDEA was first adopted in 1975, Congress committed to paying 40 percent of the cost of providing special education services. Sadly, after 28 years, we are only at 19 percent.

The President's fiscal year 2005 budget fails to fully fund IDEA, proposing to increase IDEA by only $1 billion-an amount that falls far short of our commitment. Across this country, there is growing frustration over the lack of education resources. The No Child Left Behind Act has only exacerbated such frustrations.

Our school districts are striving to provide a high quality education for all children but don't have the adequate resources to do the job.

As a result, parents of children with disabilities, who only want to ensure their child gets the education they deserve and need, are forced to fight for the very programs and services to make that possible.

For too long, we have forced school districts and schools to pit children against children.

For too long, we have forced parents of children with disabilities to battle principals, schools districts, and other parents for limited educational resources.

Schools urgently need the resources to fulfill the promise of IDEA, and they deserve better than this.

Our schools-and the students with disabilities that they teach-also deserve highly qualified and skilled educators.

For special educators, regular educators, principals, and others who provide education and related services to students with disabilities the need for action is clear:

47 percent of students with disabilities, ages 6-21, spend 79 percent or more of their time in regular classes.

98 percent of school districts report meeting the growing demand for special education teachers as a top priority.

An estimated 600,000 special education students are taught by unqualified or underqualified teachers nationwide.
Each year about one-third of special education program faculty openings are unfilled.

The Personnel Excellence for Students with Disabilities Act, which I introduced last year, seeks to address this critical area of need-ensuring that all students with disabilities are served by highly qualified and skilled teachers, education personnel and related service providers.

I am pleased that many of the provisions of my bill have been incorporated into S. 1248.

Together, we can ensure that children with disabilities have access to a high-quality, free, appropriate public education, and that the law truly reflects the needs of parents, teachers, principals, and related personnel.

Governors, State legislators, superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents are all unified in support of mandatory full funding of IDEA.

Now, instead of the empty votes and broken promises of the past, another opportunity to meet our commitment is upon us. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Harkin-Hagel amendment.