John Kline Asks Congress to Lead in Supporting Students with Special Needs

Press Release

As Congress begins to review its budget proposal for 2016, Congressman John Kline sent a letter to House Committee on the Budget Chairman Tom Price and Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen requesting Congress increase funding and move toward honoring its commitment made decades ago to students with disabilities.

"While the Administration's budget does not come close to funding 40 percent of the costs of educating students with special needs, the President continues to propose new programs and schemes that divert scarce resources away from classrooms serving these students," said Kline, the Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. "By not meeting our obligations, school districts in Minnesota and across the country have to reprioritize their budgets, impacting the education of all our students. As our nation struggles with runaway federal spending, deficits, and debt, Congress must lead and establish responsible priorities which include renewing Washington's commitment to students, their families, and educators."

In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which mandated educational access and services for students with special needs, with the promise that significant federal investments would support state and local school districts in meeting their obligations to these children. The precursor to IDEA, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, authorized federal funding up to 40 percent of the additional costs of educating students with disabilities. Unfortunately, federal contributions have never approached that goal. Kline's letter moves Congress in the right direction in supporting students with special needs.

The House Committee on the Budget is releasing its budget for 2016 today. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to release its budget tomorrow. House leaders joining Kline in signing the letter were Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair of the House Republican Conference; Pete Sessions, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules; and Lamar Smith, Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

We request the House budget include provisions that would ensure the federal government's contribution to special education reaches 18 percent, matching the highest level of sustained support provided by Congress… Although our request still falls short of the federal government's commitment to special needs children, it would generate significant new resources for all states and school districts, giving policymakers and educators more freedom to use state and local funds to strengthen general and special education in their communities.

Last year, Kline held a roundtable at Northfield High School to examine special education funding shortfalls. In hearings with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Kline has repeatedly asked why the Administration fails to support the nation's most vulnerable students.

John Kline is Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. He and his wife, Vicky, live in Burnsville.

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