Two key changes will
mean school districts have more money for special education. The
first change will reinstate the special education “growth factor,” which
makes annual funding adjustments to account for inflation. In addition, districts
will also have to pay less of their regular education money toward special
education. The “cross-subsidy” was reduced by a little over
half. Other more minor initiatives explore reducing special education
costs and reform.
The governor’s
dismal proposal for special education funding opened the session,
recommending a mere $37 million increase for the biennium. However,
the final bill provides for a $329 million increase, which will
primarily be used to pay off the cross-subsidy deficit that has
now reached $530 million in Minnesota.
The $329 million increase
will provide much needed relief to our schools. Cross-subsidy has
been an issue since 2004, when the state legislature voted to eliminate
the special education growth factor and then “capped” funding.
With less money coming from the state, special education costs have continued
to grow over time. Some more good news was the reinstatement of the special
education growth factor (at 4.6% per year), which will help districts with
some of the rising costs. Schools that have “extraordinary” special
education costs will also have an inflationary factor of 2% per year
reinstated.
Tracking Costs
In order
to better understand what’s driving special education
cost issues, the legislature asked for several reports over the
next years:
• The Minnesota
Department of Education is required to report annually the amount
each school is spending to cross-subsidize special education.
• The
Commissioner of Education will also be required to track special
education litigation costs for school districts every year.
• A
new “Special Education Task Force.” will compare
the Federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
requirements with Minnesota requirements. Minnesota has historically
exceeded the federal law for special education services. The
group will be required to provide a report to the legislature
by February 2008.
Although the overall
flavor of the final education bill was not one of reform, there
was some movement in that direction. A new “School Finance Reform
Taskforce” will examine the way we currently finance education
in Minnesota. Special education funding formulas and financing will be
part of this discussion.
Another reform effort will help districts get money from the federal IDEA
law. K-12 public schools will be encouraged to tap into IDEA funds that are
available to help students who need additional academic or behavioral support
to succeed in the general education classroom. These services seek to provide
early, intensive instruction (with particular emphasis in grades K-3) to reduce
the number of children needing special education services.
A Good Start, But …
The
reduction of the cross-subsidy deficit and reinstating the special
education growth factors this session is a good start, but school
deficits will continue to grow over time. For example, all estimates
indicate that special education transportation costs will keep
going up. Yet these costs have not been addressed in this bill.
Therefore, it is important that we continue to insist that legislators
adequately fund special education and establish stable, consistent
funding.
It’s important for citizen advocates to continue meeting with your legislators
during the summer and fall to let them know how important special education
is to our children. The message should always be the same—continue to
adequately fund special education and provide stability to education funding.
Don’t bow to the lesser federal standards when considering the
future of our children. ![]()
Kim Kang is Communication Director of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota
