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Board hears that federal IDEA dollars are declining and adding pressure to local budgets
Summary
District staff told the board that decreases in federal special-education allocations are squeezing local resources and that allocations and carryover policy decisions affect how services are funded at school sites.
Board members asked whether additional operating authority from the referendum was flowing to special education and how the district tracks the impact. District staff explained that special-education allocations begin with students' IEPs and a staffing model; federal IDEA funding and other federal allocations are part of the calculation.
"Because the federal IDA dollars are decreasing every year, we are at the direction and we're being with EPI spending that balance down," staff said, explaining that carryover and reserves historically used to smooth funding are being drawn down. The presentation noted maintenance-of-effort rules that limit flexibility to reallocate funds once higher service levels are provided, and staff said they will continue to bring allocation adjustments and impacts to the executive team and the board.
