Tigard‑Tualatin board hears that special‑education costs have risen as enrollment shifts and high‑cost reimbursements lag

Tigard‑Tualatin School District officials told the school board on Feb. 20 that special‑education costs have risen substantially in recent years and that state and federal reimbursements have not kept pace.

In a presentation, Director Kinch and Director Singh walked the board through enrollment trends, funding streams and gaps. They said the district’s additional per‑pupil special‑education spending increased from about $11,000 to about $16,000 over the last six years and that the number of students identified with autism and related developmental disabilities has more than doubled since 2017.

Why the district is watching the numbers: Students with higher needs are concentrated in a relatively small group of high‑cost placements. Kinch said the number of students whose programs cost more than $30,000 has risen (from about 175 in 2019‑20 to roughly 190 in the most recent…