New Jersey is among eight states to receive a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to reduce the amount of state financial support provided to local districts for special education in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Under IDEA, states must maintain the same level of state funding for special education from one year to the next unless granted a waiver to reduce that amount.
In a September, 2010 letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, New Jersey reports that it had “a precipitous and unforeseen decline in financial resources,” forcing a reduction in state support of education, including a $52 million reduction in funding for special education.
IDEA requires that if a state receives a waiver, it must return to the prior year’s level of state support the following year or face a reduction in federal funds (unless a new waiver is requested and granted). New Jersey’s request was approved in April
.