Feeling the blues and all that jazz
Wilk announces adoption of Senate Joint Resolution
State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced that a Senate Joint Resolution calling on Congress to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been adopted.
The IDEA Act set a minimum of 40 percent federal fund-matching for the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary schools and secondary schools to pay for services for children with disabilities, Wilk said Thursday.
The latest figures available from the Legislative Analyst Office noted the federal government is only paying about 10 percent, Wilk said. “That means there’s about $4 billion a year that we’re due from the federal vote that they’re not paying.”
The effects are even more widespread than just students with special needs, Wilk added, because mandates require the services, regardless of whether the districts are funded for them.
“(Schools) are legally obligated to provide those resources, so (when the federal agencies don’t provide funding), they’re taking money out of the classroom,” Wilk said, “and so it affects all students.”
It’s especially problematic in parts of the 21st District due to a combination of factors, he said.
“We’re a magnet in the region because of our reputation for the stellar education our schools deliver,” he said. “It’s important to me because we have a moral obligation to help every child and the federal government is not keeping its promise.
While there’s a significant local impact, it’s an issue throughout his district, which includes three different valleys.
“When I meet with my (Special Education Local Plan Area representatives), do they complain about the lack of funding? Yes. They do, and they should,” he said, referring to the local agency that coordinates services for special needs students in local districts, “but that doesn’t matter whether I’m in Santa Clarita, Antelope or Victor valleys.”