KSDE: Special education funding separate from base; districts covering growing costs with local dollars

Dr. Frank Harwood told legislators that special education in Kansas is funded through a separate appropriation and is not tied to weighted FTE the way general education funding is. He said the 2025 appropriation for special education is $611,000,000 and that statutory reimbursement language (described as 92 percent of excess costs in KSDE materials) governs increases unless the legislature acts.

"Special education is a wholly separate appropriation," Dr. Harwood said. He added that two years ago the supplemental appropriation was $73,000,000 and last year was $10,000,000, which he described as insufficient to keep pace with expenses.

When members asked whether districts are effectively compelled to maintain local spending levels, Dr. Harwood cited federal maintenance‑of‑effort requirements and said that districts have been using local dollars—"districts are spending $400,000,000 of local funding to cover the costs that are not being covered by the appropriation," he said—meaning districts often must shift general fund dollars to special education when reimbursements lag.

Why it matters: Because special education costs are driven by demonstrated student needs and by per‑staff reimbursement mechanisms rather than by enrollment counts, rising SPED costs can outpace state reimbursements and place pressure on local budgets and programs.

Requests and follow‑up: Committee members asked KSDE for a breakdown of special education counts and cost drivers (including exceptionality categories such as autism), indicator‑17 outcomes for students on IEPs, and clearer data in future presentations. KSDE agreed to provide additional subgroup data at a subsequent meeting.