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Special education (SPED) programs and services are mandated by both the state and federal governments. Unfortunately, resources to provide the programs and services have not followed the mandate. Congress authorized reimbursing states for 40% of expenses, but for 2001-02, federal aid accounts for less than 5% of the district's SPED expenses.
The state, likewise, has not kept its part of the partnership. The state reimbursement, currently at about 34%, is projected by the Department of Public Instruction to drop below 30% for 2002-03. To cover this shortfall, the only option for school districts is to cut regular education programs - though some legislators have suggested going to referendum to ask local taxpayers to fund the state and federal SPED mandate.
For several years legislators have talked about the need to better fund the low-incidence/high-cost SPED students - where there is no question of misidentification of the disability. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in this area. The Kettl Commission recommended that the state pay 100% of low-incidence/high-cost students. The Department of Public Instruction defines "high cost" as three times the state per pupil spending, or about $25,000. The following chart details MMSD's low-incidence/high cost experience.
| Costs | # of students | Average cost | Total cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costs Exceeding $50,000 | 22 | $64,776 | $1,425,065 | $112,000-50,200 |
| Costs between $50,000-40,000 | 62 | $44,403 | $2,752,974 | $49,781-40,582 |
| Costs between $40,000-25,000 | 107 | $31,885 | $3,411,648 | $39,909-25,181 |
| TOTALS | 191 | $39,737 | $7,589,687 |
Last year in order to comply with revenue limits, the district cut nearly $5 million from its budget; while increasing the SPED budget by over $4 million and adding over 20 new personnel ($1 million) to provide services for the ever-increasing SPED enrollment.
The Legislative Council is the appropriate agency to study the many issues surrounding SPED. A primary concern should be examining the appropriate placement of students in SPED programs. If students are being misidentified, the state should assist school districts with appropriate techniques to ensure correct placement.
SPED expenses are squeezing MMSD's regular education program. The district supports the necessary state resources to ensure an inflationary increase for SPED. MMSD supports the Kettl Commission recommendation for the state to pay 100% of low-incidence/high-cost SPED students, but not off the top of the current SPED allocation. The district also supports a Legislative Council study to fully examine Wisconsin's SPED program.