[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6335368,"mediaKeyId","2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be","parentId",2289544,"title","DESE warns of special-education funding shortfalls: high-needs fund and First Steps face gaps","audioSeconds",8280,"startMs",350000,"endMs",8630000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be&start=350&end=8630","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be/thumbnail_350000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6335368/Missouri/DESE-warns-of-special-education-funding-shortfalls-high-needs-fund-and-First-Steps-face-gaps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6335368-388cff2ab64550fc3a5f9a6d31dc4d96/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171119&Signature=Li2q16y5suaj9frGYAwsHC4YGIYW8psVwEFRgF11168pVEr3V4P-Yn3v3GvhGChbfS-HJvFSggaMP9nLrTIIpsAiPy8hwHWSStlrjlxS57gQXo9Asapk7E~NAr-OzLpmGNS7yHnu7xtuZvA7Niqyrf6wJhx-ZalMRetPiTD7Q2FQ4D1Kv851OPjU0uLUUQAo35qb6r8tVzo0~8d~HyfKPSo0n8iQEQOtGN0NQOO456EMzL6CC5lU2e2z0ri5jFwxaF87tuPygyoHiKLx5S2w4auny2XWbveR~z7AZQIm23TZ39hW5L0XClHgnewaUF74te~OH6v2rRMIAZdEp-wPSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Missouri State Legislature","date","2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","article","Department of Elementary and Secondary Education staff told the House Budget Committee on Feb. 3 that several special-education and early-intervention lines face funding pressure heading into FY26.

Early-childhood special education: DESE reported an FY24 shortfall in the early-childhood special education (ECSE) allocation, which reimburses districts for services to children ages 3\u0005. Reimbursements are paid the year after services are delivered; DESE said a carryover practice and timing differences produce year-to-year variability. For FY26 the department asked for a $20.7 million new decision item to address the FY24 shortfall (DESE said it carried $2.7 million into FY25 and paid those early in the fiscal year). DESE told the committee the ECSE line is mandatory and that federal funds for that program are limited.

High-needs fund (IDEA): DESE also requested $14.7 million for the high-needs fund (the state-level safety valve for exceptionally costly IDEA students). The department said the federal special-education grant
llocations include some capacity that historically could be used for high-needs cases but that those federal pools have largely been exhausted; the department said it has maximized the federal set-asides and needs GR authority to cover high-cost cases. DESE told lawmakers the high-needs program routinely covers individual student costs that can run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and that the department expects continuing growth in claims as services expand.

First Steps (birth-to-3): DESE said First Steps needs $17.9 million in additional authority for FY26. Reasons include a $4.7 million FY24 shortfall, increased Single-Point-of-Entry contract costs ($8.6M) and the expected loss of about $3 million in Medicaid revenue because providers must now enroll as individual Medicaid providers and obtain NPIs. DESE officials said the department is working with providers and with the Missouri Medicaid (MoHealthNet) program on provider enrollment requirements.

Why it matters: Special education and early intervention are statutory obligations and serve vulnerable populations; local districts and families rely on timely reimbursements. The committee asked DESE for supporting documents: invoices and district-level request detail on the ECSE and high-needs items and a clearer explanation of the First Steps Medicaid enrollment change and how the department will mitigate provider attrition.

Ending: DESE agreed to provide the committee district-by-district detail for the ECSE reimbursements, high-needs claims, and a narrative on First Steps' provider enrollment transitions to Medicaid billing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget (HR3) February 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","DESE told the House Budget Committee that mandated early-childhood special education, IDEA high-needs cases, and the First Steps birth-to-3 program face material funding shortfalls in FY26; the department requested NDIs totaling more than $50 million to cover FY24 carryovers, contract increases and lost Medicaid revenue.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MO, Missouri","taxId",77693,"location","Missouri","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6335373,"DESE seeks funding for teacher baseline salary and career-ladder grants; lawmakers press for district-level detail",18816,534000,19350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be&start=534&end=19350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be/thumbnail_534000.jpg","/articles/6335373/Missouri/DESE-seeks-funding-for-teacher-baseline-salary-and-career-ladder-grants-lawmakers-press-for-district-level-detail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6335373-643fc37d4677c3bc9d3dafa8014f8a2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171119&Signature=LFdKPcVvhFe2FLdg4GkoC5~Rbje7iH6jpfG~kQTVIOvSVhHyo2OmmRXxCdr~Kk7WCOyJLCtfoAk7qZyv6FLrmC0tadubSVm8RMn6Rnv2~yxqvv5vVTMQL5EUz4bXLZ0WugYmqjfm0zFSDhAq~cS-l6Yt-ndkCjzuGZI-EkSf01ubDJCuLE2rtYsDC1MwgFbrJwUiHRGz4ZVYe4ScTHnSFXOqE0TXXemEo1PjQoPSc3wFeTu-T5ZQG1mGg1cxG~BJjVw2Kum91M3BAqQUeym6bWozPEz6dITdmQ2-atPbxZImnsfRphlbwCzxe7TYRaA8aV1rxPs3uaLXvDoLibNWDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State education officials defended continued funding for the new teacher baseline salary grant and the career-ladder program during a departmental presentation to the House Budget Committee.

Baseline salary: Under 2023 statute DESE established a baseline salary grant to raise minimum teacher pay. \"The governor recommended $33.4 million,\" DESE said; that amount appeared in DESE\u000briefing as a transfer and program appropriation. The department told the committee it did not request an additional $5.7 million top-up this session because district salary schedule increases and the baseline transfer together will cover the state\fommitment for FY26.

\"We have to prevent districts from moving compensation backwards,\" DESE said, noting grant guidance requires participating districts to submit salary schedules and projections so the department can confirm districts do not reduce total compensation or supplant other pay. Committee members asked for district-level lists of forecasted baseline and master's/step payments so lawmakers can see who benefits.

Career ladder and teacher retention: DESE also described the career ladder program, which supplements pay for teachers who take additional duties or extra hours. The department said participation has grown from roughly 205 districts to 249 districts and projected a near-term cost of roughly $44.7 million for FY25 participants; the department told lawmakers its FY26 request accounted for rising participation.

DESE emphasized retention and training programs that supplement pay, such as the Missouri Teacher Development System and literacy coaching; several items were not funded in the governor\u000budget but DESE requested them as new decision items and agreed to give additional program-level detail. Lawmakers repeatedly pressed for more granular data on how grants are distributed by district and how state grants interact with local compensation and benefits.

Why it matters: Teacher pay and retention drove much of the committee discussion; lawmakers and DESE agreed the state program aims to increase pay but wanted transparent district-by-district allocations and stronger reporting to ensure funds expand total compensation rather than supplant local investments.

Ending: DESE agreed to provide the committee district-level runs showing expected FY26 distribution for the baseline salary grant and career-ladder programs and to produce clarifying guidance documenting how the department ensures new state dollars do not displace local effort.","DESE told the House Budget Committee it will continue supporting teacher pay through the statutory baseline salary grant and an expanding career-ladder program; the governor recommended $33.4 million for the baseline grant and DESE said districts are increasing career-ladder participation.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6335377,"Child-care subsidy backlog and payment system failures leave some Missouri providers unpaid; DESE says 70% of backlog cleared",15310,3030000,18340000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be&start=3030&end=18340","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be/thumbnail_3030000.jpg","/articles/6335377/Missouri/Child-care-subsidy-backlog-and-payment-system-failures-leave-some-Missouri-providers-unpaid-DESE-says-70-of-backlog-cleared","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6335377-0cbbbd4b901b680ee95ac24097778e95/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171119&Signature=I1MhFBExs~-EUUAErEXyDQ25pjVr6BXJdQweGLukrJK3b02CvTw259zFCpgNEeLPvDYTzyjIunB2rKXs~QgwWMJBn7ErdnQ0~4yWmX3~-I5ZTzsp7~sdVfdtnyqf-X5Mqtzq4yZx14I3cLOLcJSfBjVHFs1d9Qp0IPvEkx5PUYudouM6zKXAHKrx~Ul28HCp6l0rOPL3qQ3dpKikPdSpobJmFs7zE0SO4yT8W6Rp7GN5oRHYrwmL5WLOaGTu0OomD69~ueQ13a~vpyKHLrUoPPQ5zjA4nfpwEhJh5tI0UYlBhlT3cGLt6g7QleuxQ7DmSwVHDUazUxBt21kv76YzxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Missouri child-care providers and parents told the House Budget Committee on Feb. 3 that a multi-month failure after a state payment system change left numerous providers without expected subsidy payments in 2024. DESE staff told the committee the primary causes were a flawed data migration and a broken payment calculator after a system switchover; the department said the bulk of systemic errors have been fixed and that 70% of the historic backlog has been processed.

What happened: DESE said the state migrated provider, family and child records into a new childcare-payment platform in mid-2024. The migration omitted or mis-mapped many records; in addition a rate/calculation error prevented routine payments from being created or caused partial payments. \"Pieces of those components that are needed for a payment weren't working properly until July,\" DESE staff told the committee. The result was a large number of unpaid claims and manual processing needs.

Scope and status: DESE told lawmakers there were roughly 1,900 subsidy providers in the system at the time of the migration and that the backlog peaked at roughly 670 providers with unresolved payment items; the department said it has processed more than 100 providers in the past two weeks and about 70% of the historic backlog remains to be resolved as of the committee hearing. DESE said about 500 providers and 25,000 child claims were the outstanding manual items remaining in the queue.

DESE response: The department described a multi-pronged cleanup: (1) fixes to the data migration and calculator logic; (2) repurposing staff and contractors to run special manual processing tools that apply approved authorizations in bulk; and (3) a triage process to identify incomplete applications or missing documentation and contact providers/families to collect missing pieces. \"We've processed 70% of the backlog and our goal was to clear the rest by the end of this month,\" DESE said, but it also cautioned that incomplete records will take longer because staff must request missing documents from families or providers.

Impacts reported to the committee: Several lawmakers relayed constituent reports of providers in small communities that carried unpaid bills for months; one member said a provider reported owed sums large enough to cause cash-flow problems and late tax penalties. Committee members underscored the secondary harms: providers losing staff, closing rooms or turning away children, and families facing childcare gaps that affect employment.

What DESE asked for and offered: DESE urged any provider or family with unanswered claims to submit a direct inquiry to the department and offered to research specific cases. The department said it will share a provider-level list of remaining issues that would help lawmakers and local officials provide outreach.

Why it matters: The child-care subsidy program supports work and child development; payment delays affect small businesses and low-income families directly. Lawmakers pressed DESE for faster resolution and asked for follow-up information and a post-mortem on the contract and vendor performance.

Ending: DESE said the system-wide bugs are fixed and that staff will continue manual clearing until the backlog is closed; the committee requested a written timeline, a roll-up of remaining providers and an after-action review of the implementation and contracting process.
","Missouri child-care providers told the House Budget Committee that system failures after a state IT migration prevented routine subsidy payments in 2024; DESE said it has now fixed the migration/calculator errors, has cleared about 70% of the backlog, and is manually processing the remaining claims.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6335382,"Missouri education officials outline $497 million foundation formula increase; governor recommends $200 million",4388,230000,4618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be&start=230&end=4618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2289544-0689913bed8924a8c7d46219a820b7be/thumbnail_230000.jpg","/articles/6335382/Missouri/Missouri-education-officials-outline-497-million-foundation-formula-increase-governor-recommends-200-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6335382-37926deec17237c30ef998664d08d501/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171119&Signature=V7VUd5IyfxQ6ULZT6wHi9gun5y7Lw2EWV4gpLc~eHRbWz8vlV9kPakU4zM8Jv4Xl4lwlXhuriuIJH5Sxf1266KerArMx1kWxKvg2BwS~AER6r-oWrDVw8ea4WUI8T0bOWlXJPEETWXo6cvKvYHlhTsVkLa5KFAQ-65KrQrXncLb2An00FXzGSKF2Sijrbd~r1aHQw3MY1xPro4m1UuF1eFolTIqC6RBzGaiWmwqXR3HFT2CEbxi7k1YTvDCBsJ~-~7WX7UMJJQn5neXMFDgaprLXZ045LwhmZU1DoJDX9TrF-MJS44eNkbN021mMGLNn~nO50Z4CCQD-I2gqvx6JWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials told the House Budget Committee on Feb. 3 that changes required by the state
dequacy target recalculation and provisions in Senate Bill 727 produced a potential $497 million increase in the foundation formula for fiscal year 2026. The department
sked legislators to fund the full amount; the governor recommended $200 million, plus $150 million to backfill projected lottery and gaming shortfalls.

The foundation formula is the state\fall for operating K\u00012 education. \"The state adequacy target went from $6,375 to $6,760 for this fiscal year,\" said DESE officials during the presentation, and a larger target combined with SB 727 changes such as phased movement to enrollment-based funding, a new 1% incentive for extended calendars and changes to pre-K funding raised the formula call. \"When you put all those different pieces together, we end up with $497 million,\" DESE staff told the committee.

The department said the $497 million estimate reflects several distinct drivers: the updated state adequacy target (S.A.T.) that reweighted districts after MSIP 6; the phased transition in SB 727 from attendance to membership (enrollment) reporting; a provision that raised the allowable share of pre-K pupils counted in the formula from 4% to 8%; changes to local effort calculations; and other technical adjustments such as virtual-course attendance rules. DESE said the S.A.T. recalculation alone accounted for much of the increase.

The governor\u000favored a smaller increase. \"The governor recommended $200 million,\" DESE officials said, explaining the administration\fhose to fund the SB 727 items and part of the S.A.T. change but not the full estimated call. Committee members repeatedly asked how DESE would implement a lower appropriation; staff said state law gives the Department a prorating mechanism that lowers the S.A.T. if appropriations do not cover the full formula call, and that lowering the S.A.T. affects districts unevenly depending on hold-harmless status, dollar-value modifiers and other local factors.

Lawmakers pressing for more detail asked DESE for a district-level run of the governor
nd department scenarios. \"We can't identify the precise district impact until we set an appropriation level,\" DESE said, but agreed to provide the distribution data the committee requested.

The committee also discussed how stable revenue streams (lottery, gaming receipts and sports-wagering transfers) interact with the formula. DESE said some of the previously budgeted sources have lower projected transfers; the governor recommended a $150 million general-revenue backfill to replace anticipated shortfalls in lottery and gaming proceeds.

Why it matters: the size of the foundation formula call determines K\u00012 operating aid to nearly 900,000 students; funding level changes can materially affect local budgets and district reserve calculations. Lawmakers said they will evaluate the governor
nd department proposals and asked for additional DESE-provided district-level impact tables before final decisions.

Ending: DESE committed to provide the committee a district-by-district estimate of the FY26 impacts under the department and governor funding scenarios and to explain the assumptions used to construct the $497 million figure.","Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials told the House Budget Committee the combination of a recalculated state adequacy target and 2023 legislative changes (Senate Bill 727) created an estimated $497 million increase in the K\u00012 foundation formula for FY26; the governor recommended $200 million plus a $150 million lottery/gaming backfill.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DESE warns of special-education funding shortfalls: high-needs fund and First Steps face gaps

DESE seeks funding for teacher baseline salary and career-ladder grants; lawmakers press for district-level detail

Child-care subsidy backlog and payment system failures leave some Missouri providers unpaid; DESE says 70% of backlog cleared

Missouri education officials outline $497 million foundation formula increase; governor recommends $200 million