On November 9, 2021, the National Alliance of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (NASISP) sent a letter to Congress urging the swift passage of a Labor-HHS-Ed FY 2022 Appropriations bill, which contains historic investment and long overdue increases for public education. As a member of the alliance, NAPSA proudly signed on to the letter, which was sent to  Sen. Patrick Leahy, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair;  Sen. Richard Shelby, Vice Chair; Sen. Patty Murray; and Sen. Roy Blunt.

The letter states that “[w]e (NASISP) believe the federal government has a responsibility to make meaningful investments in programs that help ensure all students have access to the academic, social-emotional, and mental and behavioral health services they need to thrive. We are grateful for the significant investments Congress provided to our public education system to help schools, students, and families recover from the impact of COVID-19. However, those investments are no substitute for long term, predictable federal investments in key education programs that states rely on to serve their students. The passage of a year long CR would be devastating to our students, and further delay in the passage of FY 2022 appropriations inhibits states and LEAs from engaging in meaning financial planning to address the needs of their school community. We urge Congress to fulfill its responsibility and pass an FY 2022 appropriations bill as soon as possible with [the requested] funding levels.”

Those levels are as follows:

ESEA

-Title I-A (ESSA) Education for the Disadvantaged. Requested: Minimum $36.7B.

-Title II-A (ESSA) Supporting Effective Instruction. Requested: Minimum$2.3B.

-Title IV-A (ESSA) Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants. Requested: Minimum $2.0B.

OSERS

-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B, Grants to States. Requested: Minimum $15.5B.

-IDEA Part B Preschool Grants. Requested: $598M.

-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C, Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, $732.2M.

-State Personnel Development. Requested: Minimum of $42M.

-Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities: $300M.

NOTE: PAPSA is a state affiliate of NAPSA and in turn benefits from the advocacy efforts of both NAPSA and NASISP.