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Superintendent: special education costs exceed state funding by about $1 million
Summary
Vernonia's superintendent told the budget committee the district has 103 students with special needs but receives double-weight funding for only 11, leaving an estimated $1,000,000 shortfall covered by the general fund.
Superintendent Hellman told the budget committee that special education costs significantly outpace the state funding the district receives.
"We bring in 473,000. It costs $1,400,000 to educate these students," Hellman said, noting that the state provides double weight only up to 11 students even though the district identified 103 students with special needs. That gap, she said, requires roughly $1,000,000 from the general fund to meet federal IDEA and state obligations.
Committee members pressed for clarification about how the state's weighting works and whether IDEA funds were being redirected; Hellman said the district must meet legal requirements under IDEA and that the budget reflects those statutory obligations while acknowledging the strain on general fund resources.
