CEC Policy Insider

New Analysis: State Budgets Must Be Bolstered to Avoid Massive Teacher Layoffs

Governors have been warning for weeks that states will face budget shortfalls without federal support due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) now estimates the potential loss of more than 300,000 teaching positions because of the COVID-19 pandemic if state budgets are not bolstered by a federal relief package.

On average, thirty-five percent of state general expenditures are dedicated to K-12 education and 10 percent are dedicated to higher education. LPI’s analysis of the economic impact on public school districts, which is informed by data and trends from the 2008 recession, is based on an estimated 15 percent reduction in state education funding, even after accounting for CARES Act funding.

The organization argues that additional federal funding is needed to avoid the long-term impact on schools and a generation of students, and particularly students in low-income districts, that would result from teacher cuts. “Research has shown that teacher cuts during the last recession disproportionately impacted districts and schools serving students of color and students from low-income families…” for more than five years.

“Low-wealth” districts, because of their reliance on state funding, are likely to see a greater loss of teachers and are the most in need of additional assistance from federal sources.

Read the LPI blog here.

Senate Democrats Urge Congress to Support IDEA in Next COVID-19 Package

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is leading a letter to Senate Leadership requesting that future COVID-19 relief packages continue to protect the rights of students who experience disabilities and provide additional funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) so that educators are able to effectively serve students.

The letter, which has the support of 23 Senators, emphasizes IDEA’s core tenets and lifts up the innovative ways that educators have pivoted instruction and services to ensure student needs are met during the pandemic. Finally, the letter urges Congress to infuse at least $11.9 billion in emergency funding into IDEA.

To view the letter, go here.

Why This Matters to CEC Members

CEC is joining with partners in the field to work toward emergency funding that will support education spending broadly and IDEA spending specifically. Our Members have championed this by making a strong call for more support, and our efforts are working!

Action Alert:

Congress has heard our call for emergency IDEA funding and is beginning to join our chorus. Now is the time to amplify this message to galvanize large-scale support within Congress. Please follow the simple prompts on CEC’s online platform to add to the more than 5,000 letters your colleagues have sent to Congress in support of emergency IDEA funding.

CEC encourages you to share this alert with your friends and on social media. You do not need to be a CEC member to join us in action.

David Cantrell Named Deputy Director of the Office of Special Education

David Cantrell, Ph.D., a long-time career employee at the U.S. Department of Education, has been selected to serve as deputy director in the Office of Special Education (OSEP) alongside Director Laurie VanderPloeg.

Dr. Cantrell’s 30-year career includes working as a director in the Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he administered grants to states and local education agencies for the Rural Education Achievement Program and the Consolidated Grant to the Insular Areas.

Additionally, he spearheaded technical assistance activities for states by leading the Office of Program and Grantee Support Services, which oversees the Equity Assistance Centers and Comprehensive Centers. He has also served as director of special education and student support services for the Department of Defense. Dr. Cantrell will begin his new position on May 11, 2020.

To learn more, go here.

Secretary DeVos Submits Waiver Requests to Congress

On Monday evening, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos submitted a request to Congress for temporary waiver authority during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CARES Act directed the Secretary to examine public education laws and report back with any requests for waivers of provisions needed due to school closures. Noting that finding solutions to keep educating students during the crisis is of the utmost importance, DeVos wrote, “the Department is heartened to see many positive examples across the nation of teachers, schools, LEAs, States, as well as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies, rising to meet the needs of those who rely on them.”

The Secretary outlined her principles for reviewing laws and determining needed waivers: the health and safety of America’s students, teachers, parents, and administrators; learning must continue for all students; decision-making must be based on what is best for students, not the “system;” parents must be informed about the impact waivers will have on their children’s education and consent to those changes; and, services typically or historically provided in person must naturally occur differently.

Based on that criteria, DeVos requested two waivers of provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

1. The first is waiver authority to extend the IDEA Part B transition evaluation timeline. Waiving the timeline could enable toddlers who turn three to continue to receive Part C services until an initial evaluation for Part B can be safely conducted and eligibility is determined, but DeVos noted that clarity on funding would be necessary.
2. The second is waiver authority to grant a deferral of the work or repayment requirement under Personnel Development Scholarships if the service obligation was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver would be consistent with the flexibility granted to the TEACH Grant program through the CARES Act. The letter also includes a request for waiver authority under various provisions of the Rehabilitation Act to offer flexibility on the spending down of funds and other technical changes.

To view Secretary DeVos’s letter to Congress, go here.

CEC’s Executive Director Responds to DeVos Waiver Requests

CEC’s Executive Director, Chad Rummel, responded to the letter to Congress requesting targeted waivers during the COVID-19 crisis. He praised the Department of Education for acknowledging the importance of continuing to educate students despite school closures and for upholding the core tenants of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including providing access to a free and appropriate public education.

He also reiterated the need for emergency funding for IDEA so that the work of educating students with exceptionalities can continue to move forward.

To view Executive Director Chad Rummel’s remarks, go here.

Bipartisan Senators Release IDEA Principles for COVID-19 Response

Last week, Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos outlining bipartisan principles they believe should guide any temporary waivers granted under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the COVID-19 crisis.

The principles acknowledged that:

• Students with disabilities have a right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and services must be provided.
• FAPE, parent engagement, and due process rights cannot be waived, and only narrowly targeted timeline flexibilities should be considered.
• Congress and the U.S. Department of Education must continue their oversight duties to ensure schools meet their obligations under IDEA.
• The U.S. Department of Education must provide robust technical assistance to accompany any timeline extensions; and that Congress must provide $10 billion in emergency IDEA funding.

Why This Matters to CEC Members

The principles are noteworthy because of their bipartisan nature and the fact that both Senators sit on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where they are considered special education leaders within their respective caucuses. Furthermore, they were able to come to a consensus that the special education field will need additional funding to respond to the crisis.

Grassroots advocacy, led by CEC members, was attributed to coming to that agreement, and likely impacted the negotiated dollar amount.

Action Alert:

We know that your grassroots advocacy is working! To keep up the drum beat for emergency IDEA funding, please follow the simple prompts on CEC’s online platform to add to the approximately 5,000 letters your colleagues have sent to Congress in support of emergency IDEA funding.

CEC encourages you to share this alert with your friends and on social media. You do not need to be a CEC member to join us in action.

To view the letter, go here.