OARacle Newsletter

In mid-May, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will provide an additional $144 million to states and districts to use for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs. According to an article on the K-12 Dive website, about $123.6 million will go toward IDEA Part B grants for students ages 3 through 21 and $20.5 million to Part C early intervention services for newborns through age 2.

The funding comes from non-expiring funds that have been returned to the agency in recent years. It will be distributed through formula grants to states and territories on July 1 and October 1. The K-12 Dive article noted that the funding is significant. For this federal budget year, IDEA Part B was funded at $14.2 billion, an increase of $20 million from the previous year’s allocation. Part C received $540 million for this fiscal year, the same amount as the year before.

About 8.2 million students ages 3-21 qualified for services under IDEA in 2024, a 12.6% increase from 2019 to 2024, according to analysis by The Advocacy Institute of data collected by the Education Department. 

The Education Department also described a new option for states, allowing them to use IDEA Part C funds “to conduct child find, public awareness, and referral activities” for expectant parents of infants with disabilities thanks to a provision in a federal spending law enacted earlier this year. A seven-page guidance document released by the Education Department describes how states can put the new option to use, providing an example of an expectant mother expecting a child with Down Syndrome who will be eligible for Part C early intervention (EI) services. According to the guidance, the state in which she lives could use the flexible funding to ensure she understands how the IDEA Part C system operates, refer her for services, and, within 45 days of the child’s birth, ensure that an individualized family services plan (IFSP) is established to provide IDEA Part C EI services.

Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children, noted the need for this additional funding in a Disability Scoop article. “As the number of eligible children under IDEA continues to rise and funding remains stagnant, I am pleased to see that additional funds for IDEA will be distributed by the U.S. Department of Education. It is my hope that Congress will build on this momentum and provide increased funding for all parts of IDEA in fiscal year 2027, ensuring all IDEA programs are well supported.” 

Sherri Alms is the freelance editor of The OARacle, a role she took on in 2007. She has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 20 years.