The Division for Early Childhood

Senate Committee Increases IDEA and Special Education Research Funding

Yesterday the Senate Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), approved a $20 million increase in Part C, a $100 million increase for Part B and a $10 million increase in Special Education Research. Details are not yet available about funding levels for the other programs in IDEA.

It is still early in the 2013 process and reaching agreement this year is expected to be very difficult with serious concerns about funding levels for FFY’13 and worries about a possible sequestration in January 2013.

The full Senate still needs to consider this bill and the House has not yet set any IDEA numbers for FFY’13.  The FFY’13 fiscal year begins October 1, 2012 with funds to be available to states July 1, 2013.  There is little chance that a final FFY’13 appropriations bill will be approved by September 30, 2012 which means we can expect the annual battles over a series of continuing resolutions to keep the government funded. 

Funding increases included in the bill are:

• $20 million increase for Part C for FFY 2013.
• $100 million increase for Section 611 of Part B Grants to States for educating students with disabilities between the age of 3 and 21.
• $10 million increase in Special Education Research to support research on how children and adults with disabilities learn and how best to meet their learning needs.
• $160 million increase for Child Care and Development Block Grant (CDBG), $90 million of which will go towards workforce training and professional development, with the remaining $70 million targeted to increasing the number of families served and improving provider rates.
• $70 million increase to Head Start, a portion of which goes to support the costs of implementation of the re-competitions required under the new Head Start Performance Standards
  
• $51 million increase for Race to the Top, a significant portion of which to be targeted for additional opportunities for states to enhance early education and care. 

Additional information will be posted as full details of the bill are made available.