NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE, releases a statement on behalf of NAESP on the increases to federal funding by the Senate Appropriations Committee for Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

“NAESP applauds the increased investments for Title I and special education in FY25 approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The $280 million increase for Title I and the $295 million increase for IDEA state grants are valuable additional resources to help support our students who need it most.

We also appreciate the committee increasing Head Start by $700 million (5 percent), maintaining current funding for Title II professional development grants, and making education spending a priority in such a challenging fiscal environment. The funding levels demonstrate the importance and results of working together in a bipartisan manner for the benefit of our students and schools. We want to commend committee Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins and the education appropriations subcommittee leaders, Chair Tammy Baldwin and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito for their leadership.

We hope the full Senate will similarly give this bill bipartisan approval in the near future.”