Fourth District PTA to Draft 2007 Convention Resolution

(December 30, 2006) - Fourth District PTA hopes to present a convention resolution at this year's California State PTA Convention, to be held on May 3-6 in Sacramento. The resolution deals with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires school districts to provide a “free, appropriate public education” to children with special needs.

The IDEA funding formula stipulates that states are to receive 40% of the national average per pupil expenditure. Annual federal appropriations have never been sufficient to provide states with the maximum allotment allowed; in fact, the highest federal funding provided has been only 18% of the average per pupil expenditure. As a result, school districts have been forced to use large portions of their general funds to fulfill IDEA requirements.

The goal of the proposed resolution, entitled "IDEA Encroachment: Effects of Under-Funding," is to encourage California State PTA, and its units, councils and districts, to advocate for the level of federal funding specified in IDEA for special education programs. This would release general fund money currently used by school districts to support special education and allow that money to be used for education purposes that benefit all students.

This is a work in progress; we will provide updates on our progress as we move into the new year. We appreciate your support in this endeavor. The members of the Resolutions Committee are: Julie Redmond, chairman, Patty Christiansen, Celia Jaffe, Patty Jordan, Gisela Meier, Barbara Paxton, Shereen Walter, Juli Warnick, and Jackie Wood.