May 13, 2011: Recovery Act spending reports 75% of IDEA Part B funds obligated. According to spending reports made available on the U.S. Department of Education Recovery Act web site, about 75% of the IDEA Part B Recovery Act funds have been obligated as of May 6, 2011. Rates of spending vary across states-from as low as 52% in Wyoming to 100% in Iowa. All IDEA Recovery Act funds must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2011 - just 5 months away. The State-by-State spending report is available here.
April 15, 2011: IDEA Money Watch and the Center for Law and Education submit a FOIA request to USED for LEA-level data on MOE and CEIS for FY2009 required to be submitted by May 1, 2011. See the request here.
April 12, 2011: U.S. Dept. of Education grants waivers to Alabama and New Jersey allowing these states to reduce financial support for special education to local school districts. Oregon's request was denied. The U.S. Dept. of Education has a new web page that details its procedures for considering state requests to reduce financial support to local districts due to economic hardship and lists the states that have made a waiver request, including all documentation and USED response.
