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**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Liz Lubow**

**June 25, 2003 Amy Hagovsky**

**202-228-1122**

**[http://mikulski.senate.gov]{.underline}**

**SENATOR MIKULSKI FIGHTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION**

Washington, D.C. --Today **Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)** worked
with her colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) Committee to pass the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2003 (S. 1248). This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

IDEA, enacted by Congress in 1975, is a partnership between federal,
state and local governments to guarantee all children with disabilities
receive a constitutionally required "free and public education."
However, since the enactment, Congress has repeatedly failed to pay the
pledged 40 percent of special education costs in public schools. Even
with large increases in funding over the last seven years (from \$2.3
billion in 1996 to \$8.9 billion in 2003), the federal portion of the
funds has not exceeded 15 percent. In Maryland, the federal government
only pays about eleven percent of the total cost of educating children
with special needs.

Senator Mikulski is a strong proponent of federal aid for special
education in public schools and fought for full funding of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the 107th Congress.
Senator Mikulski has cosponsored several amendments to fully fund IDEA.

*Please find below Senator Mikulski's statement which was included in
today's Congressional Record.*

I think this bill makes a good start. But I want you to know that I have
some concerns. All over Maryland, I've heard from parents, who are
concerned that this bill rolls back the guarantee of a quality education
for their children. I've also heard from teachers, principals, and
school superintendents, who want to know where the resources will come
from, and why this bill doesn't fully fund IDEA. I will vote to move
this bill along, but I reserve my right to oppose it on the floor.

--- more ---

I think this bill takes some big steps forward. It simplifies
complicated rules. It makes it easier for schools and parents to
navigate \-- not litigate. And it allows schools to help students who
need special attention, but not necessarily special education.

I've talked to Marylanders -- the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority --
about this. They see their children being racially sidelined. They are
being pushed into special education, when what they really need is
special attention. I'm so pleased that we are doing something in this
bill to stop racial sidelining.

Yet I have concerns. I am concerned that this bill makes it easier to
sideline students with disabilities and harder for them to get the
education they need to succeed. There are some red lights in this bill.
There is no mandatory full funding. And, this bill takes scarce
resources away from special education. It allows up to 8% of scarce
federal IDEA funds to be spent on anything.

I am so disappointed that this bill does not include mandatory full
funding. The federal government is supposed to pay 40% of the cost of
educating children with disabilities. Yet it has never paid more than
16%. That means local districts must make up the difference by skimping
on special education, by cutting from other education programs, or by
raising taxes. I don't want to force states and local school districts
to forage for funds, cut back on teacher training, or delay school
repairs because the federal government has failed to live up to its
commitment to special education.

Yet this bill goes even further than not funding special education. It
actually takes money away from special education. This bill allows local
governments to use up to 8% of scarce special education funds for
anything they want. I think that's shocking. Fully funding special
education would give local governments the resources they need to
improve education for all children.

Everywhere I go in Maryland, I hear about IDEA. I hear about it in
urban, rural, and suburban communities, from Democrats and Republicans,
from parents and teachers. Let me tell you what they are saying. They're
saying that the federal government is not living up to its promise, that
special education costs about 18% of the average school budget, that
schools are suffering, and that parents are worried.

Parents today are under a lot of stress, sometimes working two jobs just
to make ends meet. Or trying to find day care for their kids, and elder
care for their own parents. The federal government shouldn't add to
their worries by not living up to its obligations. With the federal
government not paying its share of special education, these parents have
a real question in their minds: Will my child will have a good teacher?
Will the classes have up-to-date textbooks? Will they be learning what
they need to know?

--- more ---

Parents of disabled children face such a tough burden already. Caring
for a disabled child can be exhausting. School should not be one of the
many things they worry about, particularly when the laws are already on
the books to guarantee their child a public school education. The bottom
line is the federal government is shortchanging these parents by not
paying its share of special education costs.

I've heard from parents. They have other concerns, too, besides the
money. They are concerned that this bill rolls back the guarantee of a
quality education, by getting rid of short-term goals on education plans
and scaling back safeguards. I agree that we need to simplify this law
to make it easier for schools and parents to navigate. I'm glad that
this bill makes some crucial improvements. Yet I want to do what's best
for families and schools. I'm working on a Caregiver's Tax Credit. I
think we can do better for families.

Ninety percent of school districts are out of compliance with the
federal law. Parents and students need to be able to count on a quality
education. And they need safeguards they can rely on for the times they
need to fight the system. Instead of rolling back protections for
students, we should provide the resources, so that schools can give
students the services that they need to succeed with their classmates in
public schools.

Special education has made such a huge difference in the lives of
students with disabilities. Think of how much more could be achieved if
every disabled student got the education he or she was promised. Full
funding of IDEA is essential. It will give disabled children a chance to
succeed in school and in life. It will give parents peace of mind about
their children's education.

I understand that we have an agreement to address full funding when this
bill goes to the floor. So I will vote to move the bill forward. I look
forward to working with my colleagues on this \-- Senator Harkin and
Senator Jeffords, who have been such leaders on this issue, and Senator
Kennedy and Senator Gregg. I hope we can agree to fully fund IDEA. It's
the single most important thing we can do for children this year.

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