Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Full Funding of State Formula Page: 2 of 5
5 Pages.View a full description of this report.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CRS-2
the trigger was exceeded in FY2000, the "permanent formula" took effect. Under this
formula, states receive a "base year amount," which is the amount they received in the
fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the trigger is surpassed (i.e., the FY1999
amount based on the "interim" formula). Of the funds above the amount necessary to
provide these base year amounts, 85% is distributed in proportion to each state's share of
population ages 3 to 21 and 15% is distributed in proportion to each state's share of
population ages 3 to 21 living in poverty. Certain minimum grants and caps on increases
are applied.3
Each state's maximum authorized award is calculated as follows:
maximum state award = number of children served * 40% of national average per
pupil expenditure (APPE)4
It is important to note that the formula only specifies the maximum award a state can
possibly receives In other words, the formula does not guarantee 40% of national APPE
per disabled child served; rather, it caps IDEA allotments at 40% of national APPE. The
actual size of state awards is contingent on annual appropriations for the program and
allocations under the "permanent formula."
Full Funding Issue
IDEA is a voluntary program that assists states in educating children with disabilities.
As the Supreme Court explained in Smith v. Robinson, one of its early IDEA cases, the
program is "a comprehensive scheme set up by Congress to aid the states in complying
with their constitutional obligations to provide public education for handicapped
children."6 Thus, the financial assistance under the grants to states program is intended
only to supplement state and local spending on the instruction of students with disabilities;
states and localities remain primarily responsible for the expense of special education and
related services.
The extent to which the federal government offsets the cost of special education and
related services has come into question. Critics point to the allocation formula's funding
history as a failure on the part of the Congress to pay for its share of the cost of educating
disabled children. Annual appropriations have never been sufficient to provide each state2 (...continued)
counted as receiving special education and related services. At a state's discretion, this count may
be made on the last Friday of October or on December 1 of the fiscal year for which funds are
appropriated.
3For further information on the "permanent formula," see CRS Report RL30810, Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Issues Regarding "Full Funding" of Part B Grants to States,
by Richard Apling. p. 5-11.
4 The APPE is for all K-12 public school students in the most recent preceding year for which data
are available.
5 Section 611(a)(2) of IDEA states: "... the maximum amount of the grant a state may receive
under this section for any fiscal year is ..." [emphasis added].6 468 U.S. 992, 1009 (1984).
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View one place within this report that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Apling, Richard N. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Full Funding of State Formula, report, December 27, 2001; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1410/m1/2/?q=%22elementary%20and%20secondary%20education%22: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.