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Trustees say state must fully fund special education before realistic proficiency timelines
Summary
Several trustees said it is unreasonable to set district timelines for all students reaching proficiency until the state fully funds special education; some called revisiting the assessment premature without that funding.
During the discussion, multiple trustees pushed back on state guidance that appears to expect all students to reach higher proficiency levels without full state special-education funding. One trustee said the state’s change of language is “playing funny with language” and argued the district cannot set a realistic timeline until special education is fully funded. “Fully fund special education, then we can talk,” a trustee said.
Trustees asked staff to reword the needs-assessment language around timelines and to flag the funding shortfall as a barrier. Several members emphasized that, even with full funding, achieving proficiency for every student is not always attainable for some students with significant needs, and they asked that staff reflect that nuance in the written assessment.
