THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:	The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents
FROM:	Rebecca H. Cort James A. Kadamus
COMMITTEE:	Subcommittee on State Aid
TITLE OF ITEM:	Special Education Funding Regents 2005-06 State Aid Proposal Development
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	May 3, 2004
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Discussion
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	Policy Development
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1 and 5
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY:

 

Attached are materials for discussion at the May meeting of the Subcommittee on State Aid.  This meeting begins deliberations relating to the development of the 2005-06 Regents proposal on State Aid to school districts with a discussion on special education funding.  Materials include:

 

·        Attachment A is a discussion paper on providing financial support to help students with disabilities meet State learning standards.  We refer you especially to the discussion questions on page 8, which are planned for public forums around the State this September.  Members of the Board of Regents are invited to attend these sessions.  Please notify David Johnson if you expect to attend.

·        Attachment B presents a table on special education funding systems of each state in the nation prepared by Education Week as part of its 2003 annual state policy survey.

·        Attachment C presents a schedule of reports for the development of the Regents State Aid proposal for 2005-06, for review and comment by Subcommittee members.

·        Attachment D is a technical description of State Aids to help school districts with the costs of educating students with disabilities, provided for reference.

 

 

Attachments

 

 

 

 

 

Attachment A

 

 

Providing Financial Support to Help Students with

 Disabilities Meet State Learning Standards

 

            This fall, the New York State Education Department will conduct a series of public meetings and meetings with educators throughout the State to obtain input on the best way to provide financial support to assist students with disabilities in meeting State learning standards.  The results of those public meetings will be presented to the Regents at the October 2004 Regents meeting.  As background, we are providing the Regents Subcommittee on State Aid with information on program and fiscal issues for students with disabilities in anticipation of the fall report.

 

State Education Department Visions and Goals

            The State Education Department has set goals and its vision for the people and institutions that it serves.  They are as follows:

1.       All students will meet high standards for academic performance and personal       behavior and demonstrate the knowledge and skills required by a dynamic world.

2.      All educational institutions will meet Regents high performance standards.

3.      The public will be served by qualified, ethical professionals who remain current with best practice in their fields and reflect the diversity of New York State.

4.      Education, information and cultural resources will be available and accessible to all people.

5.      Resources under our care will be used or maintained in the public interest.

6.      Our work environment will meet high standards.

 

Program Goals of the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)

            VESID has established program goals for individuals with disabilities.  These goals are consistent with the Department’s vision and goals for New York State residents.  The VESID goals are as follows:

1.      Students receiving special education services will meet high educational standards.

2.      Students with disabilities will be integrated with their nondisabled peers throughout their educational experience.

3.      Individuals with disabilities will participate successfully in post-secondary education.

4.      Individuals with disabilities will be employed in integrated work settings.

5.      All services for which VESID has responsibility will be cost-effective.

6.      All services for which VESID has responsibility will meet high standards and continuously improve.

 

State Aid Goal and Principles

            The goal of funding for students with disabilities is the same as the goal of funding for all students.  As stated in the Regents proposal on State Aid to school districts for school year 2004-05, this goal is:

The State's system of funding for education should provide adequate resources through a State and local partnership so that all students have the opportunity to achieve the State’s learning standards, including resources for extra time and help for students.

 

            The decision to change funding for students with disabilities or to continue existing apportionments, should be driven by an overall goal and a set of State Aid principles.  The Department used the following State Aid principles in developing the Regents school aid proposal which should be considered in addressing funding for students with disabilities:

1.      Simplicity--Formulas should be simple and understandable.

2.      Adequacy--Effective distribution across all districts will insure adequate resources for acceptable student achievement.

3.      Sustainability--Resources are predictable and available consistently over time.

4.      Flexibility--Allow districts to decide how to use resources most effectively.

5.      Accountability--Measure outcomes and use those measures to insure that financial resources are used effectively.

6.      Equity—Recognize differences in school districts’ fiscal capacity, pupil need and regional costs to maintain comparable levels of local effort in school districts across the State.

7.      Efficiency--Promote efficiency in the distribution and use of aid.

It may not always be possible for each aid formula to address all of these principles.  Some formulas may address one principle and infringe on another.  The trade offs, when there is such a conflict, must be carefully evaluated so that State Aid works to support desired educational outcomes.

 

Current Issues In Special Education

Program Issues 

In New York State, 42 percent of the pupils enrolled in special education are in large city school districts (New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers).  Thirty-six percent of New York State’s school-age students with disabilities live in New York City.  In these districts, adequate support services in general education are limited, and there is a high percentage of families living in poverty.  Historically, difficulty finding teachers resulted in greater numbers of uncertified teachers in new districts.  The lack of resources makes it more difficult to provide quality instruction and early intervention for students in New York’s large, urban districts.  This means there is a greater likelihood that these students will not have access to a rigorous general education curriculum, which results in lower performance on State assessments and less likelihood of meeting graduation requirements.  The circumstances of large city districts pose a challenge for meeting VESID’s first goal that students receiving special education services will meet high educational standards.

            Two reports to the Board of Regents on special education data (June 2002, April 2003) focused on outcomes for students with disabilities and special education placement patterns across New York State.  The data (see Figures 1 and 2 for illustrative examples) demonstrated that the placement and performance of students with disabilities vary considerably based upon the needs and resources of the district in which students reside.  In New York State, the largest number of racially and ethnically diverse students are concentrated in high need school districts where adequate support services in general education are limited, a greater number of teachers are uncertified, and students with disabilities are more likely to be served in restrictive special class placements.

            The variation in placement corresponds to a variation in student achievement.   Achievement in the five largest cities is low compared with the rest of the State’s school districts.  Figure 2 shows results for the Grade 4 English language arts examination.  The trend it reveals is duplicated by other subjects and grade levels.

 

 

Fiscal Issues

            There has been a general perception that costs for the education of students with disabilities have been increasing.  Historical data show that this was true for much of the last two decades of the twentieth century (see Table 1).

Table 1. Allocation of the Real Increase in Education Expenditures in New York State and City Between 1979-80 and 1992-93
Expenditure category	1980 share of total expenditure (percent)	1993 share of total expenditure (percent)	Real change in expenditure (in billions of dollars)	Share of real change (percent)
New York State (excluding New York City)
Teaching, regular	53.1	48.8	1.07	33.3
Teaching, disabilities	5.0	11.3	1.09	34.1
New York City
Teaching, regular	54.3	47.7	.56	28.5
Teaching, disabilities	6.9	18.6	1.04	53.0
Source:  Excerpted from The Allocation of Resources to Special Education and Regular Instruction, H. Lankford and J. Wyckoff in Ladd, H.F. (ed.), Holding Schools Accountable.  Washington, D.C.  The Brookings Institution, 1996, p. 229.

 

            With the enactment of PL 94-142 in 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (currently the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), school districts began to place a major focus on the education of students with disabilities. Table 1 shows that spending on special education as a percent of total education expenditures increased from 5 percent to 11.3 percent between 1980 and 1993 in New York State school districts. In New York City the increase was even more dramatic, from 6.9 percent to 18.6 percent of total expenditures. Table 1 shows that special education consumed significant portions of the increase in spending during these years. 

These increases in spending corresponded to increases in the classification of students with disabilities throughout most of the 1990s, mirroring a national trend. However, in recent years the special education population appears to be holding steady at about 12 percent of enrollment.

            Data on instructional costs per pupil, although limited to more recent years, show a rise in instructional costs and instructional costs per pupil (see Table 2).

Table 2

Special Education Cost Per Pupil Summary

 

Instructional costs as a whole rose throughout this period. As shown in Table 3, special education instructional costs have remained about 24 percent of total instructional costs in recent years.

 

Table 3 K-12 Instructional Costs
School Year	General Education	Special Education	Total	% Special
2001-2002	$19,737,851,691	$6,295,608,262	$26,033,459,953	24.18%
2000-2001	$19,119,327,401	$6,041,342,603	$25,160,670,004	24.01%
1999-2000	$17,431,068,823	$5,796,524,263	$23,227,593,087	24.96%

 

            These costs are funded from three revenue sources: State, Federal and other (primarily local revenues).  Figure 3 shows the distribution of revenue sources in support of special education in New York State.

 

            State Aid to help districts with the costs of special education has also grown Table 4 shows that aid for the excess costs of students with disabilities educated in public schools and BOCES has grown more than 100 percent since 1992-93. Aid for students with disabilities educated in approved private special education schools has grown 134 percent.

 

Table 4 Change in Excess Cost Aid 1992-1993 to 2002-2003
	2002-03	2001-02*	2000-01	1999-00	1992-93
Public Excess Cost Aid	$2,136,924,823	$1,853,048,300	$1,859,588,890	$1,724,716,624	$1,051,715,175
incl. aid due save-harmless	$44,545,937	N/A	$60,543,386	$59,845,135	$17,101,689
5-Year % change from 92-93	103.2%
Private Excess Cost Aid	$184,713,315	$145,843,992	$144,614,528	$139,658,548	$78,750,416
5-Year % change from 92-93	134.6%
* 2001-02 baseline budget did not allocate aids by formula.  Amounts were set aside based on Executive recommendations in computer run BT0321.  Save-harmless aid was folded into the baseline budget.

 

Current System of State Aid for Students with Disabilities

            The current system for providing State Aid to school districts for students with disabilities is a categorical aid approach based on the classification of students with disabilities.  In addition to Operating Aid for each pupil, a district receives Public Excess Cost Aid for students with disabilities in special education programs run by public school districts and BOCES.  A district receives Private Excess Cost Aid for each student with a disability whose individualized education plan requires education in an approved private special education school.   See Attachment B for a description of the calculation of State aids to help school districts with the cost of educating students with disabilities.  These apportionments:

 

§         Provide aid for students with disabilities in public schools and BOCES based on the average spending on all students in the district;

§         Are wealth-equalized so that in general poorer school districts receive more aid and wealthier districts less;

§         Require a substantial local contribution from school districts;

§         Provide guaranteed minimum aid provisions so that even the wealthiest districts receive sizable amounts of aid (minimum aid ratios are 25 percent of aidable expenses[1] for Public Excess Cost Aid and 50 percent for Private Excess Cost Aid);

§         Provide extra reimbursement for the State’s highest cost students with disabilities;

§         Provide additional aid for certain students with disabilities receiving special education services in settings integrated with their non-disabled peers; and

§         Provide aid for one year to help school districts with extra support services for students declassified from special education.

           

The law that provides additional aid for students with disabilities receiving special education in settings integrated with their non-disabled peers (known as the Integrated Services weighting) is due to sunset at the end of the 2003-04 school year.  This enhanced weighting was enacted as part of Chapter 405 of the Laws of 1999 in response to a concern from the Federal Department of Education that New York State’s funding formula provided a financial incentive for placement of students in more restrictive settings. The Board of Regents has recommended continuation of this enhanced weighting for an additional year (through 2004-05) as we obtain public input about revision to the State Aid formulas for students with disabilities. 

 

            Additionally, though not considered aid for students with disabilities, Educationally Related Support Services Aid (ERSSA) is provided to school districts to provide support for students (not classified as students with disabilities) who need assistance in the general education setting to maintain their academic standing and avoid referral to special education. ERSSA is also provided for services to qualified pupils with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and any students with disabilities whose attendance does not generate any excess cost aid.

 

Aid for general education instruction is also provided through some 28 other aid programs, separate from excess cost aids for students with disabilities. 

 

 

Discussion Questions

 

How can State funding best support the achievement of students with disabilities and placements in the least restrictive environment?  The complexity of the current system (which requires categorizing students with disabilities by a level of special education service) has resulted in a variety of interpretations by school districts.  This raises the question as to whether we could get the same or better results with a simplified system.  Data on the achievement of students with disabilities and other students emphasize the interrelatedness of special and general education: that poor special education programs (and student results) are associated with poor general education programs and results.  Thus, any strategy must necessarily address both general and special education programs. Nine states have blurred the line between special and general education programs by enacting census-based special education funding systems (see Attachment C).

 

We seek advice concerning the following discussion questions:

 

1. Should aid for pupils with disabilities be categorical (i.e., specifically related to services for pupils with disabilities) or should it be general purpose aid, where services to pupils with disabilities are a component of Academic Intervention Services?
2. For each of these alternatives (categorical or general purpose), should aid be based on actual placements of students with disabilities in special education or should it be based on social indicators related to the incidence of special needs within the overall student population?
3. To what extent should funding for students with disabilities be related to accountability for results?
4. Should there be a distinction in aid between:

1. Public and private special education programs; and
2. Regular and high cost placements?

5. Should there be a financial incentive for integrating students with disabilities in general education programs?
6. What is the best way to promote achievement gains for students with disabilities?
7. Aid is available for students with disabilities of such a severity to require 12-month programming to prevent substantial regression over the summer months.  Other students may need summer programs to obtain extra time and help in meeting State standards.  Should the formulas provide additional aid for special education needs of students with disabilities in summer school programs if such students do not qualify for 12-month program aid?
8. Do we fold special education aid into a foundation program for education instruction or keep it separate?

 

2004 Public Forums on Special Education Funding

 

The tentative schedule and locations for the public meetings are as follows.  Please note that if the State budget includes Excess Cost Aid in a foundation or operating aid formula for school year 2004-05, we will not conduct these sessions this fall.

New York City

 

            September 27, 2004            5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

            NYC DOE

            52 Chambers St. (Tweed Court House)

            New York, N. Y.   10007

 

Long Island

            September 20, 2004            5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

            Half Hollow Hills SD

            High School East-Lecture Hall

            50 Vanderbilt Parkway

            Dix Hills, NY   11746

 

Rochester

            September 23, 2004            5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

            Monroe BOCES 2

            3599 Big Ridge Road

            Spencerport, NY  14559

 

Albany

            September 21, 2004            5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

            Mohonasen CSD

            Media Center

            2072 Curry Road

            Schenectady, NY   12303

ATTACHMENT B

 

 

Special Education Funding

 

State	Basis of state special education funding system (2003)	State includes the following in its special education funding formula (2003)
		District wealth or fiscal capacity1	Student poverty	High-cost students	Caps or limitations on revenue or percent of students eligible for state funding	Student performance
Alabama	Census-based	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Alaska	Census-based	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Arizona	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
Arkansas	Variable Block Grant	No	No	Yes	No	No
California	Census-based	No	No	No	No	No
Colorado	Variable Block Grant	No	No	No	No	No
Connecticut	Census-based	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Delaware	Resource-based	Yes	No	No	No	No
District of Columbia	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	No	No	No	No	No
Florida	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Georgia	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
Hawaii	None	No	No	No	No	No
Idaho	Census-based	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Illinois	Percentage Reimbursement	No	No	Yes	No	No
Indiana	Pupil Weights -- Tier	No	No	No	No	No
Iowa	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
Kansas	Resource-based	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Kentucky	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
Louisiana	Pupil Weight -- Single	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Maine	Percentage Reimbursement	Yes	No	No	No	No
Maryland	Combination	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Massachusetts	Census-based	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Michigan	Percentage Reimbursement	Yes	No	No	No	No
Minnesota	Variable Block Grant	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Mississippi	Resource-based	No	No	No	No	No
Missouri	Combination	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Montana	Census-based	Yes	No	No	No	No
Nebraska	Percentage Reimbursement	No	No	No	Yes	No
Nevada	Resource-based	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
New Hampshire	Pupil Weight -- Single	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
New Jersey	Pupil Weights -- Tier	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
New Mexico	Combination	No	Yes	No	No	No
New York	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
North Carolina	Flat Grant	No	No	No	Yes	No
North Dakota	Census-based	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Ohio	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Oregon	Pupil Weight -- Single	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Pennsylvania	Census-based	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Rhode Island	None	No	No	No	No	No
South Carolina	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
South Dakota	Combination	Yes	No	No	No	No
Tennessee	Resource-based	No	No	No	No	No
Texas	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	Yes	No	No	No	No
Utah	Variable Block Grant	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Vermont	Combination	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Virginia	Resource-based	Yes	No	No	No	No
Washington	Pupil Weights -- Multiple	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
West Virginia	Pupil Weight -- Single	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Wisconsin	Percentage Reimbursement	No	No	No	Yes	No
Wyoming	Percentage Reimbursement	Yes	No	No	No	No
United States		26	11	23	16	0

 

SOURCE: Education Week annual state policy survey, 2003.

¹ For all states other than Maine, Maryland, Montana, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, provisions for special education funding and adjustments for district wealth are    

   both included in the regular education formula.

ATTACHMENT C

 

Schedule of Reports and Topics

Development of the Regents Proposal on State Aid

to School Districts for School Year 2005-06

Subcommittee on State Aid

 

Date	Reports/Topics
May 2004	Special education funding Schedule of reports for developing the 2005-06 proposal
June 2004	Update on State budget (as available) Reaffirm proposal goals Education Finance Research Consortium: Synthesis of school finance symposium and update on Consortium
July 2004	Compressed meeting (no item on State Aid)
September 2004	Assessing Progress: Reviewing legislative action in comparison with proposals (Regents, CFE, Zarb, etc.) Proposal introduction or outline Primer presentation on State Aid
October 2004	Meeting of Education Finance Advisory Group
October 2004	Update on local effort in support of education Review proposal directions Report on focus forums on special education funding
November 2004	Meeting of Education Finance Advisory Group
November 2004	Review draft of conceptual proposal
December 2004	Action on final proposal with the dollar amount recommended and the overall distribution of aid
January 2005 – April 2005	Legislative advocacy