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Lawmakers press MSDE over autism-waiver enrollment freeze, budget transfers and special-education funding
Summary
During a hearing of the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee, DLS highlighted transfers from MSDE’s aid-to-education budget to the agency’s headquarters, projected blueprint funding gaps, and an apparent enrollment freeze in the autism waiver; MSDE officials pledged follow-up data and described cost-containment and procurement reforms.
DLS budget analyst Catherine Barber told the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee that the fiscal 2027 aid-to-education allowance increases by $271 million (2.5%) to $11.1 billion but flagged several concerns that drew sharp questions from lawmakers.
Barber said the analysis shows significant transfers and closeout amendments moving funds intended for student services into MSDE’s headquarters budget, including nearly $4.0 million in a fiscal 2025 closeout amendment and additional realignments in fiscal 2026. “DLS is concerned that MSDE is diverting savings from some programs providing services to children … to expand administrative spending in the headquarters budget,” she said, and recommended reducing appropriations for several underutilized programs and deleting funds for a leadership foundation the analysis said is no longer operating.
Barber also described programmatic and fiscal…
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