On Friday, the White House released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Request to inform Congress’ work on annual appropriations. The Administration’s budget proposes funding levels for education, justice, health, and other federal programs, which will be negotiated by Senate and House appropriators in the coming months. Specific to education, the White House has proposed an overall cut of about 3 percent to program funding at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and would drastically reduce staff by nearly 50 percent. Digging into the details, the White House proposed cuts and program eliminations similar to those it offered for FY 2026, which Congress rejected. Specific to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Administration has proposed a decent overall increase of $1.68 B to Part B (school-age children). However, the bulk of this results from the proposed elimination of IDEA Part B-619 (preschool) and all programs funded under IDEA Part D (National Activities), while IDEA Part C (infants and toddlers) would receive a $50 M increase. Staff reductions are severe, as they propose cutting the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services from 163 full-time equivalents (FTEs) to 31. For the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I is level funded and charter school programs are boosted by $60 M, all other ESEA Title and authorized programs under the law (e.g., Comprehensive Literacy, Family-Statewide Engagement Centers, Javitz Gifted/Talented, Adult Education etc.…) are eliminated. In their place, the White proposes to consolidate 17 programs ($6.5 B) into one grant for states to use with federal prescription and provides $2.1 B for the “Make Education Great Again” grant for states. The Office for Civil Rights has been cut by $30 M and staff are reduced by nearly 50 percent. 

Regarding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the White House recommends changes to programs that support people with disabilities, including the elimination of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), cuts to programs under Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, and cuts to the Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As). Congress ignored similar recommendations made by the White House last year that would have altered or eliminated key HHS programs. When Congress returns next week, Senate and House appropriators will begin the process to determine whether -and to what extent- to include the funding recommendations as they negotiate spending bills over the coming months. 

Stride Policy has provided a Summary Chart comparing the White House FY 2027 Budget Request with prior years. COPAA members are encouraged to EMAIL Congress today and support FY 2027 funding that: supports all parts of IDEA consistent with the law, ensures needed resources are provided to states/districts, and requires all K-12 programs to be overseen by ED as the law requires.