Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent warns of $1.15 million shortfall to sustain current special education services
Summary
Dr. Johnson told the Morgan County Board the district has absorbed growing special education costs while federal and state funding lagged, producing a roughly $1,150,000 shortfall tied to services already being provided rather than new program expansion.
Dr. Johnson, the district superintendent, told the board that rising special education costs have outpaced state and federal support and that the district is currently carrying a budget gap for services already being delivered.
“We have continued to invest in teachers. We have invested in aids. We have invested in specialists... this has increased our annual expenditures from approximately... about 2,000,000 to 3,800,000,” Dr. Johnson said, later noting the district is now facing “the current 1,150,000 shortfall that you see or that we've indicated.” He emphasized that the funding request is intended to permanently align the budget with services already provided, not to expand services.
Dr. Johnson described the funding gap as the result of flat federal funding and state increases that have not matched rising local expenditures. He said the district absorbed the difference with local funds and characterized the request as a move from a reactive position to a more sustainable, long‑term funding approach.
Board members asked for itemized cost breakdowns for new items listed (post‑high transition program and a middle‑school classroom reduction) and discussed whether to pursue a truth‑in‑taxation hearing or use one‑time fund balance to cover the shortfall this year.
