Don't Cut Our Kids' Education!

About the Issue

Starting in March, over the next nine years, cuts of over $1trillion in federal spending will happen if Congress does not act on budget sequestration, which requires across-the-board cuts in nearly all federal spending programs. These cuts will be evenly divided between military spending and non-defense-related spending. (Only a handful of programs, such as Medicare, Pell Grants and child nutrition programs are exempt from sequestration, or have limits on the percentage of funding that can be reduced.) Sequestration will have a devastating impact on education! Funds to states will be cut 9% each year over this nine-year period. Here’s the impact of sequestration on key education programs that serve children with learning disabilities (LD):

Special Education – The program that provides specialized instruction for 2.4 million students with LD will be cut by hundreds of millions in 2013 alone. This drastic reduction will be on top of the small amount of funding – only $17 billion – that special education already receives.

Title I – The primary program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to support the education of economically disadvantaged students will be cut by approximately $1 billion in 2013. Many students with LD receive Title I services in addition to special education.

Head Start – The program that provides early childhood services for almost 1 million low-income children – will be cut by hundreds of million in 2013. More than 95,000 young children will stop receiving critical services that been proven to have lasting effects for children and families and save taxpayer dollars in the long run by reducing costs for welfare, special education, and criminal justice.

Please join NCLD in telling Congress: Don’t Cut Our Kids' Education! Learn more about why sequestration is likely to happen.

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Dear [Decision Maker],

I want to express to you my concern about sequestration. I urge you to carefully consider the cuts you will make and how they will impact students with learning disabilities (LD). 2.4 million public school students are identified with having a learning disability. Learning disabilities affect the brain's ability to:

receive,
process,
store,
respond to, and
communicate information.

Learning disabilities are not the same as intellectual disabilities, sensory impairments (vision or hearing), or autism spectrum disorders. Students with LD can achieve and graduate with a regular diploma when provided the early identification, intervention, and instructional support they require. We want them to also receive career training, attend college, and succeed in school, at home, in the workplace, and in the community.

Cuts to the two largest and most important programs for students with learning disabilities – the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act/IDEA (the nation’s special education law) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/ESEA (which provides funding for schools to help close the reading and math achievement gap for disadvantaged children) – will leave students with learning disabilities left to struggle and at risk to fail.

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For students eligible for special education services and support under IDEA, a reduction of hundreds of millions in IDEA funding nationally would put even greater pressure on local budgets to pay for the cost of special education services. If cut, districts and schools may be forced to place further limits on evaluating students so that they may qualify for help under IDEA. It may also reduce the level of support and services provided to students with LD including:

- Instructional support and interventions (e.g., in reading and/or math),
- Occupational or physical therapy, 
- Speech therapy,
- Behavioral support and
- Other related services and programs.

An approximate $1 billion reduction nationally for Title I would impact many of the efforts to close the gap in achievement between disadvantaged students and their peers. This reduction could lead to <strong>school districts laying off teachers, reducing additional help provided to students who are behind academically, and restricting efforts to turn around struggling schools</strong>. Overall, these reductions will take away resources from schools with a high number of struggling low-income students including those with LD residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These cuts could make it difficult for children with LD to receive services they need to be successful in school. I urge you to consider the effects of the cuts.

Thank you for considering my views on this important issue.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

Don't Cut Our Kids' Education!

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