By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Approval of the K-6 English Language Arts curriculum was on the agenda for Monday's USD 428 Board of Education meeting. But things got started with a little math. Barton County Special Services Director Ashley Riley presented information about her division and how proposed legislation could impact budgets around the state.
"We cover Great Bend, Hoisington, Ellinwood, and Otis-Bison," she said. "We provide special education services to students who are eligible for ages 3-21, who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and receive special education services."
Under current law, the state of Kansas is required to compensate school districts for 92 percent of the excess special education cost incurred statewide, not by each district. The state has not met that obligation in a dozen years.
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"Special education state aid helps with the implementation of special education services, specifically IEPs, that go above and beyond students who are entitled to receive general educational services first," said Riley.
In the 2022-23 school year, USD 428 spent $3.91 million on special education services. The state reimbursed the district just $2.73 million, or roughly 70 percent - 22 percent shy of the required 92 percent. Across Kansas, excess costs of $630 million but were refunded only 76 percent, or $522.8 million. Had the state funded the full 92 percent of the excess costs, USD 428 stood to receive an additional $464,000.
A proposed alternative distribution method for state aid assumes an additional special education allocation of $82 million from the state. Based on USD 428's small percentage of the total state effort, the district would receive an additional $234,374.
"When you look at these numbers, there's quite a bit of difference," Riley said. "(The $464,000 ) is money we're not going to get. (The $234,000) is money we could get if they make this pass in the legislature. Something is better than the $450,000-ish we weren't getting."
Riley said in the 2019-20 school year, there were 542 students within USD 428 receiving special education services. That number has grown to 623 students this year. In the cooperative area, there were 807 special education students in the 2019-2020 year. That figure has grown to 898 students this year.
There are 13 categories of special education, ranging from autism, developmental delay, learning disabilities, other health impairments, and other disabilities. Twenty percent of students receiving special education students in USD 428 are identified as students with a disability. The district has 149 specially-trained staff members to provide services, and the district offers nine specialized programs for students with special education needs.