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District reports rising special education enrollment, staffing and funding impacts
Summary
District staff presented a multi-slide update showing special-education enrollment growth to 14.8% of students, higher staff ratios, revenue transfers from Fund 10 to Fund 27, and various state and federal funding streams that partially offset costs.
Elkhorn Area School District staff presented a detailed update on special education at the Jan. 27 board meeting, outlining enrollment growth, staffing levels and funding mechanisms the district uses to cover special-education costs.
Emily Lynn (presenting staff member) gave a five-year snapshot showing the district’s population of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) increased from 319 in 2015–16 to 525 most recently, and that special education now comprises about 14.8% of the district’s student body. The district’s rate is close to the state average discussed in the presentation.
Lynn and other staff described intake and evaluation activity: about three of every four students referred for evaluation (roughly 75%) qualify for services, and the number of reevaluations has risen as the special-education population has grown. Staff praised the school psychologists and evaluation teams for their work.
Presentation slides compared Elkhorn’s staffing mix (special-education teachers, paraprofessionals and pupil services staff) with similar-size districts in the region. Staff said 29.78% of district FTEs are special-education staff (including paraprofessionals, speech, OT/PT, school psychologists and special-education teachers) and explained how that ratio compares with nearby districts.
On funding, staff explained fund transfers: the general fund (Fund 10) transfers money to Fund 27 to cover special-education costs; the presentation showed those transfers and compared Elkhorn’s transfers to a state average. Staff described additional revenue sources that reduce district net cost: Medicaid reimbursements for related services, high-cost aid for students whose cost exceed a base amount, billed actual costs for some open-enrolled special-education students, federal grants and transition-incentive payments for successful student outcomes.
Staff and board members discussed whether qualifying criteria at the state level had changed; presenters said state criteria and evaluation processes have been updated (more data required in some categories) but did not assert that the district was over-identifying students.
Staff closed with recruitment and staffing concerns, saying the district’s challenge is attracting qualified special-education professionals and paraprofessionals.
Why it matters: special education is a significant and growing portion of district staffing and budgets; staff told the board that changes in state funding or open-enrollment reimbursements would materially affect the district’s general fund transfers to cover special-education costs.
