OSESRS Assistant Secretary Posny Testifies about FY2011 Budget

This week, Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) testified to the House of Representatives Labor HHS and Education Subcommittee Appropriations Subcommittee about the Department’s FY 2011 budget request for OSERS programs for students and adults with disabilities.  Dr. Posny was part of a panel called before the subcommittee to address Jobs, Training and Education. The panel also included administration representatives from the Department of Labor and Martha Kanter, Under Secretary of Education.
Dr. Posny’s testimony presented the Administration’s justification for its budget request, mostly relying on ARRA funds to justify its recommendation to flat fund IDEA. This year, despite requests for large increases in other areas of education, the Administration is recommending level funding of IDEA at 17% of full funding, level funding of Section 619 and Part C, and a slight increase to $3.6 billion for Vocational Rehabilitation. Dr. Posny directed her comments to employing individuals with disabilities and highlighted some discouraging statistics which indicate that in times of economic crisis individuals with disabilities take much longer than others to find employment. As Dr. Posny stated, “the eventual re-employment of individuals with disabilities substantially lags overall employment recovery when the economy improves.”

The focus of the hearing, based on questions from subcommittee members, was clearly jobs. This has been the business of the full House of late, and it was clearly a common theme on members’ minds.  Unfortunately, not one member of the subcommittee asked Dr. Posny a question, choosing instead to question other panelists about one theme: jobs and job creation.  Still, it was disappointing that in this important forum the topic of individuals with disabilities was not addressed by members of the subcommittee. This is a change from recent budget hearings where members have vigorously questioned the Department’s extremely low request of funding for IDEA. But here, no one asked the Assistant Secretary a single question about it.

CEC is a champion of full funding for IDEA and is extremely disappointed Dr. Posny was not asked to explain in detail the Department’s choice to level fund IDEA and its plan for the future.  President Obama campaigned on a pledge to fully fund IDEA and CEC intends to continue working with the Administration to see that promise fulfilled.

Here’s how you can help!

CEC has long advocated for Congress to fulfill its original pledge and fully fund IDEA. Currently, there are two bills
We need your help! Congress has tough choices to make about what it should fund, and we want it to choose education. CEC has been working with Congress and the U.S. Department of Education to increase funding for gifted and talented programs and to increase funding for IDEA. Education funding is only 2% of the entire federal budget – this is why your voice can add so much.

YOU can help right now! Encourage your senators and representatives to co-sponsor the IDEA full funding legislation (S. 1652 and H.R. 3578).”