Taking Action on ARRA: Education & Learning Disabilities

Dear Friend of LD Kids and their Families:

To reform education, and ensure that America’s classrooms provide support for all learners, Congress and President Obama have provided an additional $12.2 billion in funding for special education through the stimulus package, known by its acronym as ARRA.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is these funds may be endangered if they are not spent effectively, and as intended.

We need your help.

Decisions made by local education agencies (LEAs) will be critical in determining whether the kids we care about benefit from these well intentioned provisions.  Unless superintendents, school boards, and district business managers observe the spirit as well as the letter of the law, however, these funds will simply disappear into local budgets rather than being used to help kids learn. 

Fortunately, anyone concerned about education in America, and special needs in particular, can prevent this by immediately taking two simple steps:

• Either by yourself or as a group contact your local school superintendent and school board chairperson and ask them how they intend to use their share of IDEA stimulus funds, including but not limited to both part B Sections 611 and 619, and part C funding.

• Public participation is an integral part of the federal stimulus package.  Ask the superintendent or school board chairperson how and when (not if!) they will be convening a public meeting to brainstorm on how IDEA and other related funds can best be spent. Given the fast approaching deadlines, progressive school districts will be convening this type of meeting as soon as possible.

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation has been supporting those who learn differently, and may have a learning disability, since 1992.  We have invested over $25 million in support of these efforts.  We need your help to ensure that this unique opportunity to make America's classrooms suitable for all learners is not wasted.
 
Please keep us posted on any actions you or others are taking to make sure the IDEA stimulus dollars are being spent effectively, and as intended.  And check back with us periodically as we will be providing information on how best to conduct oversight of IDEA spending.  We will also have a menu of IDEA investments that are in keeping with the spirit of the educational provisions of ARRA and that will be of benefit to LD kids.


--Stewart J. Hudson
President
Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

For more information on the educational components of ARRA, please visit the U.S. Department of Education ARRA website.