Bush Seeks Rise in School Aid for Poor, Disabled
Feature Story by Michelle Russell - 1/30/2002
Washington, D.C., January 19th—President Bush today called for billion-dollar increases in federal funding for educational programs tailored to meet the needs of disabled and disadvantaged students. Pending approval by Congress, the proposed increases would make education one of the primary focuses of the Bush White House.In his weekly radio address, Bush announced that the increases would be used to fund two programs—Title I and Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Title I is the largest federal education program and gives school districts money in order to help low-income students. IDEA mandates that schools must accommodate students with disabilities.
Bush expressed concern over the current gap between the rich and the poor in student achievement scores by stating: “Our challenge is to make sure that every child has a fair chance to succeed in life.”
Democrats responded favorably to Bush’s proposal, but at the same time pointed out that even this increase falls short of federal funding obligations for other education programs. A spokesman for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) commented that Democrats “are still going to complain that it doesn't fully fund the promises made in the education bill” that was just implemented into law.
If Congress approves the President’s request, the Title I budget will have expanded over 30% during the last two years. The funding will approximate $11.35 billion, with the Los Angeles Unified School District one of the largest beneficiaries.
Along with allocating federal funds to Title I, Bush’s proposal also calls for a billion dollar increase in federal funding for IDEA. Approximately 6.5 million students qualify under IDEA to receive special assistance.
Pending congressional approval, the proposal would increase IDEA’s funding to $8.5 billion in the next fiscal year. The additional funding would help school districts hire classroom aides and make accommodations for students with disabilities.
However, many Democrats think the Bush proposal is inadequate. IDEA has asked the government to provide 40% of its funding needed so schools are able to implement the law’s requirements. Currently, the government provides only 16% of the cost, leaving municipalities to foot the rest of the bill.
