The Legislature’s own research department said that in the current fiscal year, schools are being shorted $173 million from covering the 92% of statewide excess costs as the law calls for. SPED services are mandatory, and the federal government and Kansas legislature need to fund it. Underfunding SPED hurts all students.

-USD 447 spent $1.34 million dollars last year on special education; they had to transfer $441,000 to cover the state shortfall for special education.

-Paola school district spent $3.1 million on on special education; they had to transfer $1.1 million to cover the state shortfall for special education.