State education officials want to revamp how funding is distributed for students with disabilities — a move that they think could provide more and better-tailored services for students with developmental delays, learning disabilities, and intellectual and physical disabilities.The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which oversees the state’s public schools, sent a proposal to state lawmakers in March that would fund special education based on the needs of the child, rather than the current practice: providing a uniform amount for every special education student, regardless of disability.North Carolina currently provides districts with about $5,300 per disabled student — up to 13% of its enrollment.In other words, if 10% of students had disabilities in a 10,000-student school district, the state would give the district about $5.3 million to fund services for those students. And each student with a disability would benefit from the maximum possible funding of about $5,300 per student, which pays for special education classrooms, tutoring, therapies and many other services and equipment.But if 20% of the students in that district had disabilities, the state would only supply $6.9 million toward those services because of the 13% cap. That dilutes per-student spending to just under $3,500 — roughly one-third less than the maximum.The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which oversees the state’s public schools, sent a proposal to state lawmakers in March that would fund special education based on the needs of the child, rather than the current practice: providing a uniform amount for every special education student, regardless of disability.North Carolina currently provides districts with about $5,300 per disabled student — up to 13% of its enrollment.In other words, if 10% of students had disabilities in a 10,000-student school district, the state would give the district about $5.3 million to fund services for those students. And each student with a disability would benefit from the maximum possible funding of about $5,300 per student, which pays for special education classrooms, tutoring, therapies and many other services and equipment.But if 20% of the students in that district had disabilities, the state would only supply $6.9 million toward those services because of the 13% cap. That dilutes per-student spending to just under $3,500 — roughly one-third less than the maximum.The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
North Carolina currently provides districts with about $5,300 per disabled student — up to 13% of its enrollment.In other words, if 10% of students had disabilities in a 10,000-student school district, the state would give the district about $5.3 million to fund services for those students. And each student with a disability would benefit from the maximum possible funding of about $5,300 per student, which pays for special education classrooms, tutoring, therapies and many other services and equipment.But if 20% of the students in that district had disabilities, the state would only supply $6.9 million toward those services because of the 13% cap. That dilutes per-student spending to just under $3,500 — roughly one-third less than the maximum.The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In other words, if 10% of students had disabilities in a 10,000-student school district, the state would give the district about $5.3 million to fund services for those students. And each student with a disability would benefit from the maximum possible funding of about $5,300 per student, which pays for special education classrooms, tutoring, therapies and many other services and equipment.But if 20% of the students in that district had disabilities, the state would only supply $6.9 million toward those services because of the 13% cap. That dilutes per-student spending to just under $3,500 — roughly one-third less than the maximum.The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
But if 20% of the students in that district had disabilities, the state would only supply $6.9 million toward those services because of the 13% cap. That dilutes per-student spending to just under $3,500 — roughly one-third less than the maximum.The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The vast majority of school systems are above the cap, along with many charter schools.Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Education officials have long pressed lawmakers to lift the cap and change the funding model to better serve the more than 200,000 students with disabilities in the state. But their recommendations haven’t been implemented under Democratic or Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Under the new proposal, education officials want to lift the cap and create various levels of need to enable more flexibility in funding across the state.The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The proposal has a long way to go; a bill enabling the changes hasn’t been filed. But the need for a change is becoming more clear to lawmakers, giving hope to parents, disabled rights advocates and education officials.Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Lawmakers themselves directed the DPI in 2021 to study the issue, ultimately coming up with the more dynamic funding formula that would consider student needs — a sign some of them are serious about change.And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
And in the past couple of budgets, the General Assembly has raised the cap from 12.5% — a cap that existed for decades — first to 12.75% and then to 13% in 2021.“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
“We’re further along in the conversation than we’ve ever been before,” said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at Disability Rights North Carolina.Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Alan Duncan, vice chairman of the State Board of Education, said he appreciated the interest from lawmakers. “This is a really positive step … for our children that deserve so much of our attention,” Duncan said at a board meeting this spring.Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Lawmakers are in the midst of the short legislative session, during which they focus on adjusting the state budget. Talks over how — or if — to spend a $1 billion surplus have stalled somewhat as leaders of both legislative chambers butt heads on spending priorities. And it’s unclear where special education funding lands on the wish list.Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Spokespeople for North Carolina’s legislative leaders — Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — didn’t respond to requests this week for comment on the funding model or whether it was being considered during the current session.How it would workDPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
DPI’s new proposal does away with the funding cap and creates three levels of needs for students with disabilities.The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The first and lowest-cost level includes some therapy or other services, but the student can be placed in a general education classroom most of the time. The second tier includes more assistance, including a separate classroom sometimes. The third and most expensive tier includes separation from general education, all the way up to what the department calls “homebound” education — in which the school must deliver general and special education services to the home.DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
DPI would determine which tier a student falls into based on student information provided by the school district.The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The model would lower funding for first-tier students below the current $5,300, but it would raise it above that amount for third-tier students.The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The proposal doesn’t estimate the actual cost of providing any new services but rather sets up a formula through which existing funds could be redistributed in a system special education advocates say is underfunded.“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
“It’s a step in the right direction toward recognizing we need to fund our students and our students with the most needs,” said Susan Book, the mother of a middle schooler with autism. Book’s son, Emerson, has a full-time aide — but only after years of struggles in school, extensive absences and disputes over how to help him. After transferring to multiple schools, Book credited a well-resourced school and well-trained staff with finally being able to help Emerson succeed in and enjoy school.Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Book says lawmakers have the power to make the same happen for more students across the state. “If they don’t actually increase our public school funding, we won’t see drastic changes in how the daily lives of our students look,” said Book, who has been sending postcards along with other parents to lawmakers urging them to adopt the new funding model.The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The weighted funding formula wouldn’t necessarily save the state money, but it would make it more likely that students with disabilities can get their needs met no matter the school system in which they live, said Dunn, the Disability Rights North Carolina policy director.Few NC students with learning disabilities are passing. Will NC’s new reading program help them?“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
“Any time we talk about new funding structures in public programs, education, health care — you name it — there is a sort of a gleam in the eyes of a few who are hopeful that it will mean reducing the overall cost, and that is not likely to happen here,” she said. “Not if we’re doing it well.”How much NC spendsThe state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The state is spending $1.1 billion this year on special education from state funds dedicated to it and another $357.3 million from federal sources dedicated to it, according to the state DPI.Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Other than teachers, it’s the state’s largest K-12 education expense.The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The new model would cost an additional $223 million. DPI officials told WRAL News it’s not clear how much new funding would need to be approved by lawmakers. They said funding sources that aren’t dedicated to special education are likely already contributing the additional needed funds to special education this year. For instance, the general classroom teachers fund is paying for some special education teachers.The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The department intends to run the model’s costs against actual expenses to see how well it reflects real costs.That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
That’s critical, Dunn said, because the cost can vary from place to place because of the varying costs of contractors and the differing sizes of school districts and charter schools. A charter school may have much higher costs simply because it doesn’t have the same administrative capacity as larger-scale school systems, she said.“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
“Cost is huge in getting our clients’ needs met in schools,” Dunn said. “And while that shouldn’t be the case, the reality is that schools have to pay for the services and supports they provide. And so a weighted funding model would help protect especially those school systems operating with thinner margins, thinner budgetary cushions.”Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Weighted funding would allow schools to more confidently provide services for children without diminishing the students’ needs or insisting that the school doesn’t provide certain services as a rule, Dunn said.“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
“They could actually just try to meet students’ needs instead of what we sometimes see, which is trying to recharacterize the student’s needs as lesser and then say, ‘Yep, we checked the box. We’ve met that need,’ because they are fearful of failing to comply with the law appropriately and they don’t actually have the resources at their disposal to meet the real needs of students,” Dunn said.An uncertain fateIt’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
It’s not yet clear what will happen next. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 toward hiring a consultant to study special education funding in the 2021 budget. But lawmakers have ordered studies before and not acted upon the recommendations.Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Before the 2021 budget, the most recent report to recommend changes came from a plan agreed upon by parties in the 30-year-old education lawsuit Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina, also known as Leandro.That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
That agreement called for an end to the state’s funding cap on disabilities and a restructuring of the funding model focused on actual costs. But the plan hasn’t been implemented because of a disagreement between the state’s executive branch, — which agreed to it — and the state’s legislative branch, which maintains it has the power to make the final decision. That dispute is before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
