This article first appeared in EdSource.
As schools grapple with a growing number of students with disabilities and a decrease in overall funding, they must invest in preschool and early intervention, panelists said Thursday at an EdSource roundtable.
The number of students enrolled in California schools is declining, leaving schools with less money. At the same time, the number of students qualifying for special education has increased, especially in the early grades.
“We have lots of young learners with lots of needs, and right now almost none of the revenue generated is targeted at preschool and early childhood experiences,” said Anjanette Pelletier, an expert on special education finance and director of management consulting services for School Services of California, Inc.
In addition to Pelletier, the panel brought together a parent, a student and a special education teacher to discuss how rising costs and declining revenue are affecting special education and what schools can do about it.
Rising costs, declining revenue
The budget squeeze on special education affects all students, panelists said. The federal government has never fulfilled its promise to provide 40% of funding for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a 1975 law that requires schools to provide support for students with disabilities. It currently provides less than 13%.
Since schools are obligated to provide services, they end up moving general education funding into special education. Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a $509 million increase in state funding for students with disabilities. But for many districts, the increase still won’t cover their costs, said Pelletier.
At the same time, when districts struggle to find special education teachers and specialists to hire, many end up contracting services from outside providers, which costs more than using district staff.
The lack of sufficient funding is felt by students, said Saran Tugsjargal, a first-year student at Rice University who received special education services in California schools and served as the inaugural Student Commissioner on the California Advisory Commission on Special Education in high school.
“It’s hard to come to school and see a teacher that is breaking down in tears,” said Tugsjargal. “It felt like I was a burden.”
Investing in preschool has a big payoff
Investing in early education is one way school districts can get more out of their limited funding, panelists said.
“If we would concentrate and invest in pre-K to third grade, early interventions for literacy, and I mean deep interventions, you would have less students over time that would qualify for special education, which would be a money saver,” said Monique Barrett, a special education teacher in the San Diego Unified School District.
Pelletier said she has worked with districts that have invested in inclusive preschool and early intervention for children with disabilities and have seen huge gains. Students who receive early intervention and support for pre-literacy and pre-math from an early age are more likely to be able to participate in general education classrooms by the time they reach transitional kindergarten or kindergarten, she said.
“They’ve been afforded their rightful presence in those general education spaces, and the teachers are improving, the staff are improving, the mindset is shifting,” Pelletier said. “Families are happier, there’s less litigation, fewer settlements, because the children are making growth.”
Panelists urge parents, students, teachers to get involved
Barrett said it’s crucial for lawmakers and school board members who “are not even in classrooms and have never taught before” to listen to special education teachers.
“Bring people to the table that are in the trenches, and stop having lawmakers and legislators make decisions for our students and us teachers,” Barrett said.
Panelists urged parents and students to attend school board meetings and get involved in their local Community Advisory Committees, which are made up of parents, teachers, students and adults with disabilities, and advise school leaders on decisions related to students with disabilities.
As school boards across California face budget cuts, getting involved is crucial, said Lindsay Crain, a parent and advocate who works at Undivided, an organization dedicated to educating, supporting and empowering parents of children with disabilities.
“Dozens of parents are showing up to save, like, a lot of our arts programs and things, and, you know, there’s not enough parents talking about the nurses, the school psychologists, you know, a lot of things specific to disabilities,” said Crain.
Tugsjargal urged parents and students to ask questions about what budget cuts mean for students with disabilities.
“Ask them, like, what does this really mean?” said Tugsjargal. “Because I think that a lot of young people don’t really know what those budget cuts really mean, and those budget cuts are very impactful.”
EdSource is California’s largest independent newsroom focused on education.
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