There is an estimated $308-$400 million shortfall in how special education is funded in Washington state, according to Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in order to maintain the current system, more to change the system. There are multiple proposals on how to to address this shortfall. Two efforts we're following closely are SB 5312 and HB 1910. While both bills address special education programs with regard funding allocated so school districts, they do it in different ways.
Background: Special Education Excess Cost Multiplier. The state allocates funding for a program of special education for students with disabilities. Special education is funded on an excess cost formula for up to 13.5 percent of a district's students. This formula multiplies the district's base allocation for students enrolled in special education by an excess cost multiplier of 0.9609.
Least Restrictive Environment means that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who are not disabled. Removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Summary of SB 5312: Special education excess costs are calculated based on a tiered-multiplier system, rather than a fixed multiplier of 0.9609. Multipliers are assigned to bands based on the weekly minutes of special education services and the service environment, aligned with federally reported least restrictive environment designations. Each month, districts must report the sum of special education services, related services, and supplemental aids and supports by weekly minutes for each individualized education program.
Summary of HB 1910: Raises the multiplier to 1.07 and changes the base factor from the overall (basic) full-time enrollment to special education enrollment. We'll know more as soon as bill reports are published.
If you believe your son or daughter is not getting the services they need in your local schools due to funding constraints, please let your local legislators know, but if you want to do more, please sign up for action alerts and contact WAAA to sign up as a district Ambassador!
Summary of HB 1454 - Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to: (1) Convene an advisory group to design a coordinated and responsive system for meeting the diverse needs of students with disabilities; (2) Develop a process for local education associations to apply to have one or more schools designated as a special education demonstration project; and (3) Establish a technical assistance program to provide resources and best practice guidance on inclusive education practices for students with disabilities.
We believe the bill's proposal to wait until 2021 to provide technical assistance for inclusive education creates an unnecessary delay to address the urgent immediate need to ensure that students with disabilities receive inclusive educational opportunities. Specifically, WAAA believes that OSPI already has the necessary knowledge to improve compliance with mainstreaming and inclusive education and that the Legislature should instead both require, and provide the necessary resources for, immediate technical assistance to school districts on how to implement inclusive education.
Finally, there are multiple bills that have been introduced this session that address a single diploma (with multiple pathways to that diploma) v. two different types of diplomas. WAAA 's position is that there should be only one diploma with multiple pathways to get to that diploma.
Otherwise, we will continue to see the current discriminatory practices that put students on the wrong trajectory in Kindergarten and early elementary that they will not be getting a diploma, and instead be given a certificate of completion, which we know employers and post secondary education do not regard in the same manner as a high school diploma.
We look forward to hearing from you, if you wish to serve as your legislative district's Ambassador on behalf of WAAA. Thank you for standing together with us for change!