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CCD Education Task Force

2004 End of Year Report

 

Co-chairs: Leslie Jackson, Paul Marchand, Katy Beh Neas, Steve Spector, and Jane West 

2004 was a very busy and, sometimes, frustrating year for the Education Task Force. The debate on the IDEA reauthorization continued: the Senate finally passed its bill in May.  Election year politics and posturing delayed the appointment of Conferees to a House-Senate Conference for a number of months. An agreement to move forward with the IDEA Conference was hammered out just as Congress was returning from its August recess.  Conferees were appointed in September and October, and, following weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations by staff, compromise legislation (H.R. 1350) was finally approved by the Committee on Nov. 17th.  The full Congress passed H.R. 1350 on Nov. 19th, and President Bush signed it into law on Friday, Dec. 3rd.  The signing was attended by 4 of the co-chairs, several CCD members, and the CCD Vice-Chair.  

Funding for IDEA and other education programs affecting students with disabilities continued to receive a great deal of attention throughout the IDEA reauthorization and the yearly appropriations process. 

In addition to the focus on IDEA, the Education Task Force also worked with the Department of Education on how accountability for students with disabilities under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  Task force leadership met with Secretary Rod Paige and other senior Department of Education and White House officials on this issue.  

Set out below is a summary of our activities.   

2004 Activities

  1. The Ed Task Force issued several Policy positions on the IDEA reauthorization and widely disseminated these materials in Congress and to the Bush Administration. Position papers were issued on attorney’s fees, mandatory full funding, and child medication legislation.  The task force also issued recommendations to Conferees for consideration in the final IDEA legislation.
  1. The Task Force continued to monitor the implementation of No Child Left Behind – particularly areas related to assessments, Adequate Yearly Progress and the definition of highly qualified teacher. The Task Force provided input to the Bush Administration regarding regulations to implement the NCLB, and met with Department officials (including Secretary Paige) to press the message that schools should be held accountable for the success of students with disabilities.  
  1. The Task Force continued to advocate for increases in funding for IDEA and related programs.  While the FY 05 omnibus appropriations bill includes a $607 million increase for Part B (which is $415 million below what the President’s request), all other IDEA programs were level funded with the exception of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination program under Part D which received a $1 million dollar decrease.  The Part D research and innovation program also received a $5.6 million increase, and is now “housed” within the Department’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
  2. The Task Force monitored other programs including Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant proposals.

 

Anticipated 2005 Activities

1.       Provide assistance/input on the development of regulations to implement the new IDEA requirements

2.       Higher Education Act Reauthorization

3.       Continue to monitor issues surrounding the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, particularly as they relate to students with disabilities

4.       Head Start reauthorization

5.       Child Care and Development Block Grant

6.       Transition issues, in conjunction with the Employment and Training Task Force, including VR and WIA

7.       Reauthorization of the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act

8.       Budget and appropriations