Artboardbackpack_iconblog_iconcalendar_iconchat-bubble_iconArtboardclock_iconArtboarddown-arrow-icondownload_iconfacebook-iconflickr-icongears_icongrad-hat_iconhandheart_iconinstagram-iconArtboardlaptop_iconleft-arrow-iconArtboardArtboardnews_iconArtboardpencil_iconpeople_iconpublication_iconArtboardright-arrow-iconruler_iconscroll_iconsearch_iconArtboardspeaker_icontools_icontwitter-iconup-arrow-iconyoutube-icon
‹ Back to List

Legislative committee studying special ed and various education issues this summer
08/12/2015

 

Education_Funding.jpgThe interim study committee on education convened Tuesday for its first of four meetings over the next few months. The committee meets between General Assembly sessions to discuss potential legislation for the upcoming year.

 

Tuesday’s meeting focused on several topics regarding special education funding for developmentally delayed children:

 

  1. Categories of special education for preschool, kindergarten and elementary students.
  2. The number of children identified in preschool and the funding sources.
  3. The number of children identified in preschool who are later placed into a different special education category in kindergarten and 1st grade.
  4. The estimated funding needed to provide developmentally delayed services to students in kindergarten and 1st grade.

Indiana State Board of Education rules on special education specify that developmental delay is a disability category only for students between the ages of 3 and 5 who fall below average on certain developmental criteria.

 

The primary issue that was discussed was whether Indiana should extend the age range for students eligible for development delay services from ages 3 – 5 to ages 3 – 9. Indiana is among 19 states that caps the age at 5 years old for identification. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act, states are given flexibility to extend the range up to ages 3 – 9.

 

Indiana currently spends $2,750 per pupil in state funding for students identified as developmentally delayed. The level of funding has remained at $2,750 per student since the inception of this program enacted in 1991 – nearly twenty-five years ago.

 

Moreover, funding drops to $0 per pupil for K-12 students. An additional $2 million in federal funds is allocated for developmental delay.

 

ISTA was involved with this issue during the legislative session and raised several concerns at today’s hearing regarding the current level of state funding for developmentally delayed children.

 

Extending the age range of eligibility for state funds could prevent the tracking of students into other special education categories. Students who are developmentally delayed may benefit from wrap-around services that improve learning instead of being misidentified as another special education category. Children learn at different speeds.

 

The Indiana Department of Education estimates that only an additional $4 million in state dollars would be needed over the biennium if funds are targeted specifically to kindergarten and 1st grade students in Kindergarten and 1st grade who were identified as developmentally delayed in preschool. ISTA supports greater funding as an investment, as research shows that additional supports at an earlier age saves money over time.

 

Tuesday’s meeting is only the beginning of the conversation on special education funding. Stay tuned for updates during the interim and the 2016 legislative session to follow.