Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pre K Special Ed Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State official says $18 million pre-K special-education grant exists; districts have reverted funds
Summary
Mary Ann Dursky told the committee the state awards an $18 million annual grant for special-education preschool students, that the system would have needed roughly $38 million last year before proration, and that some districts have not drawn down allocated funds (reversions of about $2M in FY24 and $3M in FY25).
Mary Ann Dursky, the designee for Commissioner Reynolds, told the committee that a state grant exists specifically for special-education preschool students and that the appropriation is $18,000,000 annually.
"There is a grant, outside of the TISA formula that it is $18,000,000 annually, and it is specifically for special education preschool students," Dursky said. She told members that the grant allocation is prorated because the funding available is substantially less than the total formula-derived need; she said the formula would have allocated about $38,000,000 last year but the appropriation is $18,000,000, and not all districts draw down the full award. "In fiscal year 24, we reverted almost 2,000,000, and last year, or fiscal year 25 rather, almost $3,000,000 reverted," she said.
Dursky also described federal IDEA preschool funding of about $7,000,000 per year, which typically does not revert because the federal spending window is 27 months. Committee members asked whether reverted state funds could be reallocated mid-year; Dursky said awards are for a single fiscal year and funds that are not drawn down by June 30 revert to the state, but she offered to research whether early release or reallocation earlier in the year could be implemented.
The committee requested staff provide more detail on which districts had unspent funds and whether a process could be put in place to notify districts or reallocate funds earlier in the fiscal year.
