About the 40 by 40 Campaign
The Problem
In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and made a commitment to fund 40 percent of the excess cost of educating students with disabilities. The promise was clear: the federal government would be a real partner to local schools in meeting this mandate.
Fifty years later, Congress delivers roughly 10 percent.
Every dollar withheld doesn't disappear. It shifts to local school districts, which are legally required to provide every service that IDEA mandates, regardless of what Washington sends. That money comes out of general education budgets, the same dollars that fund teachers, counselors, curriculum, and every other program that serves every student in the building.
School boards absorb the difference every year. And every year, they go back to the parents, staff, and taxpayers who elected them and explain why.
Congress made a promise. It is time to keep it.
[Federal IDEA Funding Share, 1981–2025. Source: Congressional Research Service, Report R44624]
How the Campaign Started
The 40 by 40 campaign didn't come from Washington. It came from the states.
In February 2025, a group of government relations professionals and executive directors from state school board associations across the country started meeting together. Not because a national organization handed them a plan. Not because a foundation funded a study. Because they kept having the same conversation in their own states. The conversation was about the same broken promise, the same local burden, the same frustrated school boards, and as a group, they decided it was time to do something about it together.
What started as a working group became a campaign. What started as several like-minded people grew into a coalition of 28 state associations and is growing. The 40 by 40: Fulfill the IDEA Promise campaign is grassroots in the truest sense. It is built by the people who know this problem best, for the school boards that live with it every day.
Campaign Goals
The 40 by 40 campaign is built around four clear objectives:
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Secure bipartisan congressional support for a realistic, multi-year path to 40 percent federal IDEA funding by 2040
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Bring state-specific data and local voices directly to congressional offices so members understand what underfunding looks like in their own districts
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Build sustained public awareness of how the federal funding gap shifts costs onto local communities and general education budgets
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Generate meaningful legislative momentum during the 2027 federal appropriations cycle, when the campaign's coordinated advocacy will be at full strength
The Coalition
The 40 by 40 campaign is led by state school board association, government relations staff and executive directors, who are the professionals who work directly with school boards on advocacy, policy, and legislative engagement every day.
The campaign is coordinated with COSSBA and NSBA networks, along with participating associations from across the country bringing their own state data, constituent voices, and congressional relationships to a unified national effort.
When Congress hears from one school district, it notes a local concern. When it hears from 28 states, with unified messaging, local data, and real constituent voices, it notes a national concern about the mandate.
California School Boards Association
Colorado School Boards Association
Florida School Boards Association
Iowa Association of School Boards
Idaho School Boards Association
Illinois Association of School Boards
Kansas Association of School Boards
Maryland Association of Boards of Education
Michigan Association of School Boards
Minnesota School Boards Association
Missouri School Boards Association
Nebraska Association of School Boards
New Hampshire School Boards Association
New Jersey School Boards Association
Ohio School Boards
Oregon School Boards Association
South Carolina School Boards Association
Texas Association of School Boards
Campaign Timeline
The 40 by 40 campaign is built around the federal appropriations calendar, with a coordinated phase structure designed to build momentum from the ground up before the critical 2027 action window.
PHASE ONE
Building the Foundation
(Fall 2026)
State associations and school boards are informed and equipped. Toolkit materials are distributed and customized for state-level use. Early adopters begin passing board resolutions and engaging their congressional delegations.
PHASE TWO
Statewide Mobilization
(Winter 2026-2027)
Coordinated Weeks of Action launch across participating states. Social media, local media, and community engagement campaigns go live. The campaign website serves as a public-facing hub for messaging and resources.
PHASE THREE
Congressional Advocacy
(January-February 2027)
The formal advocacy window opens. School board members, superintendents, and association staff engage their congressional delegations directly through scheduled meetings, letters, testimony, and leave-behind materials with unified messaging and state-specific data.
PHASE FOUR
Appropriations Push
(March - April 2027)
Coordinated advocacy targeting the federal appropriations process. Congressional offices receive formal requests tied to the appropriations calendar. Grassroots pressure from constituent voices peaks.
The 40 by 40 campaign is focused on a single, achievable goal: getting Congress to fulfill a promise it made fifty years ago. It is not a partisan effort. Every congressional session, regardless of which party holds the majority, has fallen short of the 40 percent commitment. This campaign asks all of them equally to do better.
The students who depend on IDEA services, and the school boards that serve them, have waited long enough.