Special-education update: SMSD outlines services and warns $11.5M shortfall risks
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
District special-education leaders presented a standalone program update covering services, staffing, compliance and spending; administrators said local funds cover nearly half of special-education costs, cited about 953 yearly initial evaluations (78% eligibility rate), and warned that the district would need roughly $11.5 million more to reach the statutory 92% reimbursement level.
Shawnee Mission School District staff delivered a detailed special-education program update, describing legal obligations (FAPE and child-find), the continuum of services, staffing allocations tied to student Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and a bold warning about state underfunding.
At the start of the session, the special-education administrative team outlined processes and definitions used by the district. The presentation noted the district completes an average of about 953 initial special-education evaluations per year and reported that roughly 78% of those evaluated were found eligible for services. Administrators said 135 students from private/parochial schools receive services in district schools and about 22 homeschooled students access services on-site. The district also reported roughly 856 students identified under the gifted category.
The presenters stressed that special education is legally mandated and that compliance work is embedded into daily practice. "Special education is the specially designed instruction and supports that a child needs to be able to participate and make progress in the general education classroom," one presenter said, framing services as both a legal and instructional priority.
On funding, staff told the board that state and federal dollars have not kept pace with expenditure growth and that local funds now make up "nearly half" of special-education spending in Johnson County. Board members and staff discussed state reimbursement: administrators said the district currently receives about 65% reimbursement on excess special-education costs compared with the statutory goal of 92%. District staff estimated the additional amount required to reach the 92% target at roughly $11.5 million for the district and said a proposed $10 million statewide increase would not close the shortfall for high-population districts like Shawnee Mission.
Board members asked for more granular data and follow-up. One board member asked for the percentage of district students receiving special-education services; staff said they would confirm but believed it to be about 13%.
Administrators emphasized retention and recruitment actions (professional development, paperwork days, caseload adjustments) and said vacancy levels have declined this year. The district closed the presentation by noting that special-education work is student-centered and relies on cross-team collaboration, and staff invited further questions and follow-up reports to the board.
No formal votes on special-education funding or staffing followed during the workshop; several members asked staff to return with more data and next-step proposals.