• Congress In Midst of Renegotiating Education Funding Bill; CEC Tells Congress to Increase IDEA, Javits Funding
  
• Study Shows Upward Trend for Students with Disabilities Reaching Proficiency

Congress In Midst of Renegotiating Education Funding Bill; CEC Tells Congress to Increase IDEA, Javits Funding

This week, the House of Representatives returned to Washington to work on unfinished business, including renegotiating the FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (H.R. 3010), which was unexpectedly defeated last month. (See Education Allies Help Defeat Inadequate Funding Legislation ) The initial version of H.R. 3010 cut education for the first time in a decade and slashed over $600 million from 10 vital education programs. In addition, it provided the smallest increase in funding for IDEA in a decade and cut the Javits grant program for students with gifts and talents by $1.3million.

As members of the House-Senate conference committee return to the negotiating table, CEC continues to aggressively campaign for increased funding for IDEA and the Javits program. CEC has urged all members of Congress to propose a bill that would keep its promise to students with disabilities and get back on track towards providing full funding for IDEA. In addition, CEC has informed Congress of the detrimental impact of cutting funding for the Javits program on students with gifts and talents.

In addition to the $600 million in cuts, Congress is expected to impose a 1 to 2 percent "across-the-board" cut to all non-military spending programs. As a result, small increases for programs such as IDEA would virtually disappear and already vulnerable programs would face would deeper cuts.

The following Senators have been identified as "swing votes". Visit CEC's Legislative Action Center to urge your Congressional delegation – especially if your Senator is on this list – to provide increased funding for IDEA and the Javits grant program.

- Sen. Lincoln Chaffee, Rhode Island
- Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota
- Sen. Susan Collins, Maine
- Sen. Olympia Snow, Maine
- Sen. Mike DeWine, Ohio
- Sen. George Voinovich, Ohio
- Sen. Pete Domenici, New Mexico
- Sen. John McCain, Arizona
- Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas
- Sen. Gordon Smith, Oregon
- Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania
- Sen. Ted Stevens, Alaska

Click here to tell Congress to Increase Funding for IDEA and Gifted & Talented!

Study Shows Upward Trend for Students with Disabilities Reaching Proficiency

This week, the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) released a report that shows an increase in the number of students with disabilities achieving proficiency on state accountability tests over the last three years. The report, titled 2005 State Special Education Outcomes, analyzed state-provided data over the last three years and found that state directors of special education attributed the increase to the following factors:

- Clearly communicated participation policy
- Better alignment of IEPs with standards
- Improved professional development
- Development and professional development
- Development and provision of accommodation guidelines
and training
- Increased access to standards-based instruction
- Improved data collection

Read the full report