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Board urges more special education funding and staffing support as district reports ~18% SPED enrollment
Summary
La Grande SD board members said the state funding baseline discussed at the roadshow (11%) does not meet the district’s needs; members encouraged advocacy for stronger SPED staffing supports, noting the district averages about 18% special education students.
Board members at the Oct. 23 special meeting focused on special education funding and support for SPED teachers, describing staffing and service needs that exceed the state funding floor discussed at the legislative roadshow. The board noted La Grande SD averages about 18% of students in special education and said that the commonly cited 11% funding baseline would not cover the district’s current caseload.
Members stressed that the board should advocate for stronger, targeted funding and for policy approaches that provide staffing supports rather than punitive accountability measures. The discussion included the need for substitute teachers and substitutes for classified positions, which the board said remain a persistent staffing gap. No new spending decisions were made at the meeting; the board instructed staff to keep SPED staffing and funding needs central to their legislative advocacy.
