About the author
Baruch Kintisch (bkintisch@elc-pa.org) is staff attorney for the Education Law Center.
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Securing funds for special ed:
part of a larger picture
by Baruch Kintisch
How much should we spend on special education? Here’s how Carolyn Pickens-Andrews, a mother with a child in special education at Lamberton Elementary School in Philadelphia, approaches that question.
“Children with disabilities deserve the same quality education as all students,” Pickens-Andrews says. “My daughter needs extra services to learn, and I know that the school has to pay more for this. It just makes sense for the school system to invest in what it takes for her to get a good basic education, like her friends. This is the law, but it’s also the fair thing to do.”
Some studies have found that, on average, it costs about twice as much to educate students with disabilities as other students.
The studies also show that it’s a great investment. With proper support, most students with disabilities can meet “regular” academic standards and go on to employment and higher education. A smaller number – perhaps 3 percent of all students – cannot meet regular academic standards, even with extra help. But these students can meet alternate standards; acquire academic, social, and job skills; and become more independent and self-sufficient. Over the course of a lifetime, the value of these gains can be almost priceless.
“It costs even more later on if children with disabilities don’t get the right kind of help, especially early in their schooling,” Pickens-Andrews points out. “Special education helps my daughter to do well in school. Now she can hopefully look forward to a successful life where she will really contribute to society.”
Do Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania school districts receive enough resources to provide a quality education for children with disabilities? For most districts, the answer is no. Current funding is insufficient for all children – which means that students with disabilities, who need extra support, are doubly disadvantaged.
Average annual funding per student in Philadelphia is about $11,000. This may sound like a lot (it’s roughly the state average), but it is almost certainly well below the amount needed in order to educate a child to “proficiency” on Pennsylvania’s academic standards – in any district. And in a district such as Philadelphia, which faces extra disadvantages (enormous numbers of students from high-poverty backgrounds, a crumbling physical plant), the current funding level is even farther from what is needed.
Many districts throughout Pennsylvania face similar shortfalls. In 2004-05, the most recent year for which data are available, the total annual funding per student ranged from about $8,000 in some districts to over $17,000 in some especially wealthy districts. This resource gap has grown over the last two decades. That’s because, over this period, the state’s contribution to education funding has fallen from 50 percent to 36 percent, leaving Pennsylvania communities to try to make up the difference through local property taxes.
How can we provide adequate funding for students with disabilities? Certainly, the federal government should kick in more. Congress has never fulfilled its own commitment to cover 40 percent of “excess” costs resulting from federal special education laws.
And some local governments, including Philadelphia’s, could do better. In Philadelphia, Councilman Wilson Goode’s “Schools Reinvestment Act” would shift 1.58 percent of real estate tax revenue from the city to the public schools. This bill, which deserves support, would add about $19 million per year for all students, including those with disabilities.
But by far the biggest share of the solution must come from Harrisburg. Until our governor and legislators find a way to provide a basic, adequate level of funding for all students, those with disabilities will remain in the same leaky boat occupied by everyone else – though their end of the boat may be sinking even faster.
That’s why those concerned with special education must become involved in persuading state officials to fix our overall school funding problem. It’s a good time to work on that issue. Some legislators are showing interest in the funding issue, and results of a statewide “costing-out study,” due in November, will provide information about how much money is needed.
But it will take a stronger outcry to convince state officials to take action. If you’re interested, Good Schools PA, the Education Law Center, the Education Policy and Leadership Center, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, and many other organizations (see Who’s working on school funding) can provide more information.
Fixing the state funding system will benefit all students, including those with disabilities – and the payoff will be improved academic achievement and stronger communities throughout Pennsylvania.