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TEA tells legislators Texas districts face roughly $1.7 billion annual special‑education shortfall
Summary
Commissioner Mike Morath told the House Committee on Public Education that special‑education expenditures exceed dedicated special‑education revenue by about $1.7 billion per year and highlighted the lack of state funding for evaluation costs.
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath told the House Committee on Public Education that the state’s public school districts spend far more on special education services than the state and federal funding earmarked specifically for those services, creating an ongoing structural shortfall.
Morath said the shortfall was about $1.2 billion per year in 2017 and has grown, in the most recent audited accounting, to roughly $1.7 billion annually. The agency’s analysis aggregates district audited financial statements and compares dedicated special‑education revenues (state SPED formulas, federal IDEA, SHARS reimbursement) with district‑reported SPED expenditures.
Why it matters
Morath warned the shortfall forces districts to cover SPED costs from general…
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