By Liberty , Edited by Ryan
As we have talked about all the different types of funding, they are all equally important. Although special education funding is something that is rarely talked about and swept under the rug. You might be asking yourself, what makes a child ‘special ed?’ According to Kids Health, “Any kid who might need extra help because of a medical, emotional, or learning problem. These kids have special needs because they might need medicine, therapy, or extra help in school — stuff other kids don’t typically need or only need once in a while.” Funding for special education in public schools can range from a variety of things. These can include; Adapted Books, accessible seating or ramps, book campaigns, and many more.
I will briefly talk about the importance of special education funding and what it entails.
As said in the past blog, “There are about six hundred and five thousand special education students in Texas alone from data collected in 2021.” So many children are in need of this funding yet it is so hard to receive. So many schools try so hard to receive this funding, for example the state of Kansas has been trying to receive a normal amount of funding since 2011.
According to the Kansas Reflector, “school districts have been forced to shoulder the burden of paying for special education services that are underfunded by the Kansas Legislature. Advocates say there’s a dire need for more money to support special education services, and the state is in a financial position to afford that investment.” This is hurting thousands of Kansas special-ed children everyday. The Article gave the example of a child named Orlando, who has down syndrome. Orlando is not getting the support and help he needs and deserves. “I used to struggle with guilt about the amount of resources Orlando required as a child with extra needs in a classroom setting,” Orlando’s mother Sara Jahnke stated in an interview with the Kansas Reflector. No mother should have to face these problems, especially feeling guilty. Every child no matter what disability deserves a proper education without the feelings of guilt.
What is so disappointing is that according to the Kansas law, special education funding should be providing “92% of the extra costs of special education, but the Legislature hasn’t met the requirement since 2011.” Instead, the “current level of funding is at 71% statewide, and districts are having to divert funds from general education programs to pay for special education costs… the gap in funding is about $160 million.” There has been nothing to fix this and Kansas schools desperately need this funding. The state of Kansas held a special education funding hearing, but sadly it didn’t go as well as planned. The Kansas Reflector interviewed Shannon Kimball, the president of the Lawrence school board. She stated, “the resistance by lawmakers to invest in special education services was a deliberate attempt to avoid spending money on public education.” All teaching advocates are so disappointed, but they aren’t finished. They will keep speaking their minds and seek for change.
This isn’t my normal happy, positive blog post, yet Teachers Pet is always trying to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly. We want to be transparent with you and so many states are under funding special education programs within public schools and it’s extremely disappointing.