Idaho legislator proposes feds pitch in to fix special education funding gap
An Idaho lawmaker this week introduced a joint memorial calling on Congress to better fund special education, an approach advocates across the country have been pushing for decades.
The joint memorial, sponsored by Rep. Ben Fuhriman, R-Shelley, comes as Idaho officials face challenges over a growing gap in special education funding coupled with a state budget deficit.
The joint memorial calls on Congress to pass and fully fund legislation that “fulfills the federal commitment” to provide up to 40% of the “excess cost” to educate students with disabilities. When federal lawmakers first approved the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — which guarantees students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education — it pledged to provide 40% of the funding needed, Fuhriman said. Decades later, that never came to fruition, and the federal government provides a fraction of that amount.
The memorial “would send a message to Congress that special education needs to be funded,” Fuhriman told committee members Monday. “This is a joint memorial asking Congress to fund a mandate that they put up on the states.”
The memorial says the shortfall in federal funding for special education has “placed a growing financial burden” on taxpayers, schools and families and limits resources available for students with disabilities.
“Fully funding IDEA is not only a moral and legal obligation but also a wise financial investment because stable and adequate federal support helps ensure high-quality special education services, improves outcomes for students with disabilities, and relieves pressure on taxpayers and state and local education budgets,” the memorial said.
Fuhriman said the push is part of a larger effort across the country. Idaho lawmakers have in the past been wary of federal funds for certain things. In recent years, legislators have turned down millions that would have gone toward meals for children and child care.
Funding for special education has long been an issue in Idaho.
A recent report from the Office of Performance Evaluations found Idaho schools face a more than $80 million gap between what they spend and what the state provides for special education. Idaho also consistently ranks last or near last in per pupil education funding, and uses a decades-old funding formula that fails to account for the actual numbers of students with disabilities that school districts educate.
Families across Idaho previously told the Statesman that their children’s schools have not provided them with the services and resources they needed, and in some cases, have failed to identify students who needed special education in the first place. In recent years, parents have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state, alleging that their school districts violated federal disability law.
Last August, State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield proposed a $50 million bump in special education funding as part of her budget proposal for the next fiscal year. But late last year, she backed off the push in the face of a challenging state budget.
Critchfield said she plans to bring back an idea similar to one that narrowly failed last session: a bill to provide grants to help school districts educate students who need additional services, like a full-time nurse or an ASL interpreter, which come with high costs. That bill hasn’t been introduced yet this session.
If the joint memorial is approved, it would not change any laws in Idaho. The intent would be to send a message and put “a little more pressure” on Idaho’s delegation and other members of Congress, Fuhriman said.
“Yes, we want to help these children who have special needs,” he said. “We want to provide what they need to be educated, but we can’t do it for free.”
