Federal funding for services to the nation’s 6 million students who receive special education saw a modest boost under a bipartisan agreement approved by Congress in late April. The agreement was rushed in order to avert a government shutdown.
Grants to states under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will increase by $90 million (roughly $15 per child in special education), as part of a $1 trillion agreement to fund the federal government through the end of September.
The budget deal also included additional funds for the National Institutes of Health and Vocational Rehabilitation. Spending on other programs, such as respite care, state councils on developmental disabilities, university centers for excellence, protection and advocacy, disability employment policy, independent living centers and programs for young children with disabilities were flat-funded in the plan.
