Opinion: Underfunding special education hurts all students

The following OpEd ran in the Detroit News on 2/16/24. You can find it on their website here: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2024/02/15/opinion-underfunding-special-education-hurts-all-students/72614282007/

—

In 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law, guaranteeing the right to a free, appropriate public education for all children with disabilities.

This act was a tremendous step forward in education equity as, beforehand, students with disabilities were often separated from their peers in substandard programming or denied opportunities for education entirely.

While educators across the country celebrate the act as a landmark piece of legislation and work to ensure every student receives the opportunities outlined in it, Congress has failed year after year to live up to the part of the act they are responsible for: the funding.

When the IDEA was created, the federal government pledged to cover 40% of the excess costs of special education programs mandated under the new law. Since then, however, federal spending on has rarely exceeded 15%. In 2023, it was only 13%, shortchanging our state’s schools by $630 million in funding that year alone.

Despite the promised 40% funding failing to materialize over the years, our schools remain obligated and committed to providing the services IDEA requires and our students deserve. The consequences of the funding shortfalls, however, mean that local school districts are forced to pull money from general education dollars that are already stretched thin, meaning other educational programs are also feeling the impact.

Every year, the IDEA Full Funding Act is introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate to bring the federal government into compliance. And, while it continues to receive bipartisan sponsorship as it’s introduced, it frustratingly has never received a hearing, let alone a vote.

It’s time for that to end.

Last week, we joined fellow superintendents and school board members in Washington, D.C. to call for a hearing on IDEA funding so that we can demonstrate the impact the lack of funding is having on our schools and, more importantly, the opportunities it would create for all of our students if it were received.

Fully funding IDEA is not just a fiscal commitment; it embodies the principles of equity, inclusion and individualization — a commitment to treating every child with dignity and providing them with an equal opportunity to learn and thrive. It eliminates financial disparities among school districts and ensures that every child, regardless of their background, has access to the necessary resources and support.

It also supports early intervention services that can address developmental delays and disabilities in the crucial early years of a child’s life, setting the stage for future success in school and beyond.

Thankfully, Southeast Michigan’s bipartisan congressional delegation has stepped up as advocates for us. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, have both signed-on to the IDEA Full Funding Act. These House reps have also lent their support: Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor; John James, R-Shelby Township; Lisa McClain; R-Bruce Township, Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly; Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham; Hilary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit.

Michigan may not be able to solve this problem alone, but we are ready to lead. Righting this funding mistake would represent the most significant investment in America’s education system in generations and allow us to better live up to our own mission to ensure that all students, regardless of need, are able to succeed in and out of the classroom.

Dr. Daveda Colbert, Superintendent of Wayne RESA
Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson, Superintendent of Oakland Schools.

U.S. Capitol Building