Thomas B. Parrish

Financing Special Education.

The best available data indicate that approximately 12% of K-12 public education budgets are allocated to special education and that the cost per student is about 2.3 times the cost of regular education. About 8% of special education funds come from the federal government, 56% from state governments, and the remainder from local school districts. However, the division of fiscal responsibility between state and local sources varies considerably from state to state. Fiscal pressures on special education have increased markedly in recent years as a result of increasing overall school populations, increasing proportions of students found eligible for special education services, and increasing fiscal pressures on schools. At least six states have recently adopted, and the federal Department of Education has recently recommended, special education funding based on census counts of total school populations rather than on the number of students identified for special education services. Proponents of census-based funding foresee greater efficiency of services, while opponents fear a loss of services targeted to individualized needs. An additional proposal is that census-based funding be modified to increase funding to jurisdictions with higher rates of poverty. Criteria for evaluating state special education funding formulas are proposed.

Restructuring Special Education Funding in New York To Promote the Objective of High Learning Standards for All Students.

Abstract New York has given long and careful consideration to the reform of special education funding in the state. The proposal under consideration, as endorsed by the State Department of Education, is based on a count of all students, as opposed to just special education students, and includes a poverty adjustment. This plan appears to support many of New Yorks special education reform goals, and it aligns with national trends. However, the decision to maintain separate funding systems for special education students with certain disabilities may conflict with the states goal of educating students with disabilities alongside their nondisabled peers. Also, it is important to realize that achieving high learning standards for students with disabilities will not simply flow from the planned fiscal reforms; it will require careful consideration to ensure that these students are fully included in the states system of accountability for all students.

Distribution of funds for special needs education

The international literature on the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs has been wide‐ranging, focusing mainly on curriculum and assessment, and social inclusion. The issue of funding has been mainly confined to discussions about the size of budget needed to support the resource needs of inclusion (e.g. the costs of additional teachers, support assistants or transport). Less attention has been given to the actual structure of the budget for special education. There has been greater interest in the strategic management of budgets and in the interaction of funding mechanisms at the national, local and institutional levels. This article discusses the effect of resourcing mechanisms for special education and draws on a study across Europe, and other studies based in The Netherlands, the USA and the UK. The strategic behaviours generated by different approaches are considered and the degree to which any particular strategy can influence the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs is assessed.

How Is Special Education Funded?: Issues and Implications for School Administrators:

Special education enrollments, and consequently overall costs, continue to rise with no apparent relief in sight. To clarify the fiscal challenges con fronting local special education administrators today, this article provides background on how special education is funded in the United States and dis cusses trends in special education enrollments and spending and their impli cations for school leaders. It also offers strategies that local leaders might consider to better meet the needs of students with disabilities in the current environment of fiscal restraint and increased accountability.