Senate Finance Committee advances bill to raise Special Education Service Agency rate, citing rural impact

The Senate Finance Committee moved House Bill 246 from committee after staff described the Special Education Service Agency’s work with low-incidence disabilities in rural districts and presented a fiscal note for a modest statutory-rate increase.

Ken Alperstaff, staff to Representative Josephson, told the committee that the agency — a statutorily created group operating under the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education — provides specialist services for conditions affecting fewer than 1% of students, including services for deaf and blind students. He said the agency’s team of roughly 13 teachers travels statewide and also trains local general-education teachers.

Alperstaff said the bill would increase the statutory per-student rate from $23.13 to $26.89 to reflect inflation, enrollment declines and rising caseload pressure; the change carries a fiscal note of just under $470,000. Senator Cronk, drawing on decades of teaching experience, urged support and emphasized the agency’s value in serving remote districts.

Senator Kiel reviewed the fiscal-package numbers and said the governor’s FY27 base included $2,890,800; the requested FY27 appropriation under HB246 would add about $469,900 in designated general funds and the same amount in out years.

Senator Steadman moved HB246 (version A) from committee with attached fiscal notes and recommendations; there was no objection and the bill was referred to the Rules Committee for further action.

The committee did not take a final policy vote on the House floor; the referral advances budget and funding discussions to the next committee stage.