1975
The year Congress promised to fund 40% of special education costs
10%
What Congress actually delivers today
8.3 million
Students with disabilities whose schools pay the difference
WHO WE ARE
Honor the IDEA commitment. Fund 40 percent. Students with disabilities - and the schools that serve them - cannot wait another 50 years.
The 40 by 40: Fulfill the IDEA Promise campaign was built by the people who know this problem
very well. A group of government relations staff and executive directors from state school board
associations across the country who have kept having the same conversation and decided to do
something about it together.
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In early 2025, a group of us started meeting. Not because a national organization asked us to,
but because we work for school boards, and school boards are the ones left holding the bill.
Today, 28 state associations have committed to the campaign and the coalition is growing.
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Our goal is straightforward: pressure Congress, through unified national advocacy, to finally
honor the commitment it made in 1975. 40 percent federal IDEA funding by 2040.
Why It Matters
When Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, it promised to cover 40 percent of the cost of special education. Today the federal share is roughly 10 percent. The other 30 percent doesn't disappear, it lands on local school districts, which are
legally required to provide every service IDEA mandates regardless of what Washington DC sends.
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Every year, school boards absorb that gap and explain the consequences to the communities that elected them. Larger class sizes. Delayed curriculum updates. Fewer counselors. Higher levies. The burden falls hardest on rural and property-poor districts, but no district is untouched.
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This is not a partisan issue. It is a promise issue. And after fifty years, it is time for Congress to keep it.
Your school board has the power to move Congress. The 40 by 40 campaign gives you everything you need to do it — talking points, congressional outreach templates, board resolutions, social media content, and more. All of it is free, customizable, and ready to use.
Whether your district is just getting started or your state is already part of the coalition, this is where you begin.