WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Representative Susie Lee (D-NV), and 15 colleagues in reintroducing the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act, legislation to put Congress on a fiscally responsible path to fully fund Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) on a mandatory basis. These programs, which support public education for children in low-income areas and education for individuals with learning disabilities, respectively, have been chronically underfunded since their inception, leaving our public schools, students, and teachers at a disadvantage.
“Every student deserves access to a high-quality education, but for too long, a lack of federal funding has disadvantaged the most vulnerable students living in our communities, leaving too many children behind,” said Senator Hirono. “Our students are the future, and Title I and IDEA are essential to helping them receive the first-rate education and support they deserve—regardless of their family income or disability status. The Keep Our PACT Act will help to ensure that we deliver on these promises and set our future generations up for success.”
Title I, which gives assistance to America’s highest-need schools, is a critical tool to ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education. However, it has been deeply underfunded, disadvantaging the most vulnerable students. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Title I funding gap for school year 2024-2025 was $35.9 billion.
Similarly, IDEA calls on the federal government to fund 40 percent of the cost of special education, but Congress has never fully funded the law. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), IDEA state grants are funded at less than 12 percent.
The Keep Our PACT Act would create a 10-year mandatory glide path to fully fund both Title I and IDEA, ensuring that education is a priority in the federal budget. If this legislation had been in effect for the 2024-2025 school year, Maryland would have received a $647 million funding increase from Title I, and a $672 million increase from IDEA, for an overall total of more than $1.3 billion.
The Keep Our PACT Act is supported by education, civil rights, and disability rights organizations nationwide, including the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), National School Board Association, Journey For Justice (J4J), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), First Focus Campaign for Children, National Urban League, Council for Exceptional Education (CEC), and the National PTA.
In addition to Senators Hirono and Van Hollen, this legislation is cosponsored by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The full text of the legislation is available here.
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