STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) – Among the allocations in the state budget that Gov. Tony Evers signed Thursday morning were increases to special education funding. Schools, families, and advocates were requesting that the state reimbursement for general special education expenses increase from about 30% to 60% sum sufficient. The final budget landed in a compromise.
The governor and legislators touted that what ended up getting signed into the budget is the highest reimbursement rate in 30 years. Reimbursement of general special education expenses to schools will increase to 42% in the first year and 45% in the second year. The legislative Joint Finance Committee recommended that reimbursement increase to 35% in the first year and 37.5% in the second year.
Schools advocated for the increase because the costs to provide special education services that are not covered by the state are covered by districts’ general funds. School leaders explained that those millions of general dollars could otherwise go toward other expenses that could benefit all students without having to go to a referendum.
The Block family in Stevens Point explained last month that additional staff and pull-out classes for their children with special needs would help them from falling behind.
“My hope is that if we can get more funding for special education, that some of that stuff can be prioritized to help kids be more independent and fill in the cracks. That whether they’re in high school and they need those cracks filled, or even down to Aurora’s level, where maybe we can avoid those cracks ever being cracked,” Kristen Block said, referring to her eldest daughter Kiana, 15, and her youngest daughter, Aurora, 6.
Stevens Point’s superintendent previously said that increased reimbursement could also help get students specialized education plans in a more timely manner.
Learn In My Shoes, the grassroots parent campaign advocating for more special education funding, provided a statement about the budget, saying in part:
By contrast, private schools are already reimbursed 90% of their general special education costs.
The budget also increased the high-cost special education reimbursement rate from about 25% to 50% in the first year and 90% in the second year.
Republican Rep. Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander criticized Gov. Evers veto of $750,000 in funding for Lakeland STAR School and Academy. It is a public charter school that serves students with autism and special needs in the Northwoods. He said this is the fourth consecutive time the funding has been vetoed. He said in a statement:
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