March 18, 2019, by Katie Hurt

Several bills concerning special education have survived the half-way cutoff point in this legislative session. Two bills that we are focused on are Senate Bill 5091 and  Senate Bill 5532.

Senate Bill 5091 addresses funding for Special Education. This bill would change how the state calculates the amount of per-pupil funding received by a given school district. The net effect is that the allocation for each special-education student would be double what is received for other pupils. This would apply to students regardless of their living situation, so it would include homeless or incarcerated youth. This increase does not fully fund special education but does significantly increase special education funding.

The bill also would allocate additional funding to schools with students whose needs warrant costlier, individualized education programs. This would free up federal funding the state is receiving for routing toward other services that also benefit students, such as professional learning for special-education teachers.

Senate Bill 5532 is a bill that looks to ensure families are better supported through the special education process through teacher training, advisory committees, access to advocates, and transition education and vocational supports. Finally, SB 5532 would encourage cooperative efforts to provide services across school districts and recognize districts for reaching performance targets. We know great work is being done and want it to be replicated.

Both of these bills are scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Education, tomorrow, March 19, 2019, at 3:30 PM.

We realize our legislators are faced with making very difficult appropriations decisions every day this session. We need you to let your Representative know that Special Education is a priority and that choosing funding priorities that will bring about meaningful Special Education changes is important to you.

The following Representatives serve on the House Education Committee: