Lynn C. Woolsey: “Mr. Chairman, there is strong bipartisan support for the McKeon/ Woolsey amendment, amendment No. 10, because it…”

“Mr. Chairman, there is strong bipartisan support for the McKeon/ Woolsey amendment, amendment No. 10, because it guarantees that from now on, all increases in Federal IDEA funds go to local schools where they belong. My Republican colleague and I came together to offer this amendment because we want to make certain that State do not use Federal increases in IDEA funds to solve their State budget problems. We are aware of at least 4 States, including our own California, that may be considering using IDEA funding increases at the State level for other purposes. While we all here in this room are sympathetic to State budget problems, we agree that IDEA funding must not be used to solve those problems. The McKeon/Woolsey amendment ensures this will not happen by prohibiting States from keeping increases in IDEA funds for their own use. Whenever I talk to the educators in my local school districts, the first thing they bring up is IDEA, and the first thing they bring up about IDEA is funding. As we all know, the Federal government has a long way to go to fully fund the Federal share of IDEA. It is our local school districts who fulfill the responsibility of providing every child with a free and appropriate public education. And it is these school districts, not the States, who must benefit from federal IDEA funds.”