As towns across Vermont met to approve local school budgets, U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords, R - Vt., today announced that he will continue his efforts to boost federal special education funding. Last year Jeffords fell only three votes short of passing a similar amendment. Today may be just another day in Washington, but it is a special day in Vermont.
Today is town meeting day, when towns throughout Vermont go over their budgets line by line.
This includes a review of school budgets in many towns. The cost of special education is rising at a rate that Vermont's 287 school districts cannot sustain. Nevertheless, these costs must be paid. Their leadership is especially welcome because it demonstrates important new momentum for the proposal. With their commitment, and growing bipartisan support in both chambers, I believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to pass this legislation, which would provide full funding of the federal share of special education costs by 2007.