IDEA Money Watch
Vol. 3, Number 5            August 2011
In This Issue
State-by-State Spending Update
MOE Reduction Data
Blame Game Report
ED LEA MOE Info
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Funding Cliff stories

from around the country:

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Office of Inspector General

State Audit   Reports     

 

 

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Education is charged with the responsibility of monitoring use of federal education funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).    

 

The OIG has issued these reports on use of ARRA funds during 2010-2011:   

Resources

EdMoney - website developed by the Education Writers Association - provides district-level Recovery Act funding information, links to local news coverage and more. Check it out.


LearningPort  - a website developed by the Office of Special Education Programs at U.S.ED - builds on OSEP's guidance document, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Using ARRA Funds Provided Through Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to Drive School Reform and Improvement, by providing easy access to a wealth of professional development resources.   

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Greetings!

IDEA Money Watch, a project of  The Advocacy Institute, is keeping track of the use of $11.3 billion in federal IDEA Part B funds provided to local school districts as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

All IDEA ARRA funds must be obligated by September 30, 2011 ...just 51 days remain!

 Thanks for your interest in this project!

The Advocacy Institute
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Spending Report :: State-by-State Update

As of July 29, 2011, the U.S.ED's latest report on IDEA Part B Recovery Act funds "obligated" by states ranges from a low of 60% in Utah to a high of 100% in Iowa and Kansas.

In addition to  Utah, other slow spending states include:


Virginia: 68%

Nebraska: 70%

Wyoming: 70%

Alaska: 73%

South Carolina: 74%

New Hampshire 75%

New Jersey: 76%

Delaware: 77%

New Mexico: 78% 

 

Across all states, the rate of obligation for IDEA Part B funds now stands at 87% -  with $1.5 billion still to be obligated.

All Recovery Act funds must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2011. That's less than 2 months away! 

Find out where your state stands >> Go to our state-by-state chart.
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 LEA Maintenance of Effort Data Now Available

 

We have obtained data that all states were required to submit to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Dept. of Education regarding  school district (LEA) by May 1, 2011.  

 

Known as "Table 8," this information includes LEA-level data for 2009 on:

- Amount that district reduced its  local spending on special education (known as Maintenance of Effort or MOE);   

- Use of IDEA federal funds for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS)  

 

Details on all information included in Table 8 are available here.

This data collection was requested by OSEP because of the significant increase in federal IDEA funds that districts received in 2009 as a result of the Recovery Act. All IDEA Recovery Act funds were considered 2009 federal funds.  

 

As we have reported, the increase in IDEA federal funds in 2009 gave eligible LEAs an opportunity to significantly reduce their local spending on special education. LEAs are not required to restore these local funds when Recovery Act funds run out.   

 

This reduction, if exercised, would result in little if any real increase to special education spending over time, as we have demonstrated in this short presentation.   

 

Get the Table 8 data for your state's LEAs here. 

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Special Education Students Blamed for AYP Results

As states across the nation release the results from state testing for the 2010-2011 school year, we've seen several reports where school districts attribute the reason for not making "adequate yearly progress" or AYP to the performance of special education students.

  

Two such districts in Alabama - Calhoun and DeKalb - made substantial reductions to their local education spending (see story above).

 

Read more in Money Doesn't Trump Blame Game.   
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ED Issues New Interpretation of IDEA Requirements for LEA MOE 

 

The U.S. Dept. of Education (ED) has provided new guidance on the IDEA provision regarding "maintenance of effort" (MOE) by local school districts (LEAs).

Issued in response to an inquiry from the National Assoc. of State Directors of Special Education, ED's interpretation of IDEA's MOE requirement would appear to create a major loophole for LEAs looking to reduce local spending on special education outside of the allowable reasons expressly laid out in IDEA.

Read all about it in Deal or No Deal.

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