School Administrators Welcome Funding Boost for Special Education, But Does Little to Meet Rising Costs

Friday, July 14th, 2023 -- 11:01 AM

(Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) School administrators and a bipartisan group of lawmakers alike welcomed a $100 million boost in special education funding included in Wisconsin's newly minted state budget, but say it does little to meet the rising costs of serving students with disabilities.

According to Hope Karnopp with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, take the Bowler School District, where about 22% of students have a disability, according to figures from the state Department of Public Instruction.

The additional funding means the district will receive about $22,000 more per year to cover special education costs, according to administrator and special education director Glenda Butterfield-Boldig.

But that amount "barely covers the cost of the salary for a full-time paraprofessional, let alone the benefits," she said. Public schools are mandated by law to provide what a student with a disability needs, even if that means hiring one or two additional staff members.

In the school year that just ended, districts were left to cover more than $1 billion in special education costs, forcing them to divert money from their general funds that benefits the entire student body, including students with and without disabilities.

"I'm under no illusion that there isn't going to still be at least a billion dollars of unreimbursed special education costs, even after this increase," said Dan Rossmiller, the executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.