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Lee County board plans resolution after committee flags exceptional‑children funding cap
Summary
Operations committee members told the board that state funding for Exceptional Children (EC) services is capped at 13% of ADM while Lee County reports 16.8% of students identified as EC; the committee said removing the cap would add roughly $1.8 million in funding and will pursue a resolution to the General Assembly.
Operations committee members told the Lee County Board of Education that state formula constraints cap funding for Exceptional Children (EC) services at 13% of average daily membership, while the district currently identifies 16.8% of students as EC.
Alan discussed the discrepancy and said, “if there was no cap there, we would receive approximately an extra $1,800,000 in funds.” Committee members recommended drafting a resolution to the General Assembly to address the EC funding cap and asked that the board make the resolution publicly available on the district website so community members can review it.
The committee said several EC service contracts were on the consent agenda; staff characterized some as preemptive approvals because multiple individual contracts supporting EC services are projected to exceed the $50,000 procurement threshold during the school year. Alan emphasized these are legally required services and said the committee asked staff to flag any roadblocks needing board assistance.
Board members stressed transparency and recordkeeping. The chair noted that district staff have placed resolutions on the board website organized by topic so new members and the community can find them.
The operations committee recommended approval of the EC contracts (17 contracts were listed in the packet) and the related consent‑agenda items, which the full board approved by voice vote.
