CharShares

Objectively sh*tty or objectively THE sh*t?!? 🧐🥰♥️

Congress made a promise in 1975 to cover 40%, yes, FORTY PERCENT, of what it costs to educate a child with a disability. The federal share being funded right now is somewhere between 10 and 15%. and that range reflects true disagreement about how to calculate “excess cost” and how to count state contributions. What is NOT disputed is that the gap between what was promised over 50 years ago and reality is about $24 billion a year, and every single school district in the U.S. is absorbing part of that broken promise.

The last comprehensive federal study of what special education truly costs used data from the 1999-2000 school year. You read that correctly. National policy on special education funding is developed using 25-year-old numbers, with no update in sight.

Outside of Congress, in…you know…the real world, the $24 billion gap in promised funding means less qualified teachers and IEP services that only exist in the student’s file. These shortages are documented in districts across the country, and these issues are absolutely present in Louisiana. IDEA is a civil rights protection, not a grant or ‘entitlement’ program, and the lack of funding is a civil rights failure.

Being an attorney and Landry’s mom means I’m obviously doing everything I can to know what I don’t know as he transitions to Part B and the public school system in January 2027. Everything in this post has a direct effect on what’s available to him when he does.

This is the first part of a series of posts I’m working on that goes in-depth on a recent piece in The Hill by Ashley White on IDEA’s unfulfilled promise. Link to the article is in the first comment.

Does your school district tell y’all how special education is funded, or did you have to figure it out yourself? Tell me in the comments!

Chief of Staff by day. His person always. 👋🏾 I’m Charlotte Cravins. I’m a Louisiana attorney, Chief of Staff to a state utility commissioner, disability policy advocate, hobbiest of hobbies (I’m AuADHD — iykyk), and a mom. Clearly, I spend a lot of my time at the intersection of law, policy, and the people it most affects.

That includes being a caregiver to my son Landry, who has Down syndrome, is partially blind, and has complex medical needs. Public policy isn’t abstract for our family, it’s a regular Taco Tuesday. Speaking of food…

I also enjoy cooking and post my food adventures here and there, so you *might* find random policy conversation over a cooking demonstration every now and then…who knows…but I throw DOWN l, though. I know they say never trust a skinny chef, BUT I was once 304 lbs, and I still know my way around those pots even if I can’t eat like I used to. 😆

This page is where I explain everything. No filter. No legal jargon. No agenda…except protecting human rights.

Follow along, and share, if that sounds like your speed! ♥️

📷: The Americans by Aaron Patton