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Special‑education costs and state reimbursements put added pressure on Indian Hill budget
Summary
Board members heard that the district is carrying rising special‑education costs and that state catastrophic‑aid reimbursements have shifted, straining the general fund; exact reimbursement figures reported in the transcript were unclear.
Superintendent Dr. Stewart and district staff outlined the rising intensity and cost of special‑education services and the limited state reimbursement that the district receives.
"School districts are required to offer what they call FAPE...an appropriate public education to students who are considered to be students with disabilities," the superintendent said, noting that some students require multiple staff (nurses, interpreters, aides) and that out‑of‑district placements can be a "considerable cost." She said those costs largely come from the district's general fund because state and federal reimbursements rarely cover full expenses.
CFO Mick Davis told the board the district's state catastrophic‑aid reimbursement has changed notably year to year; the transcript reports the amount "went from about 525,000 in reimbursement dollars down to a $102,150,000 dollars in 1 year." That large numeric statement in the transcript appears inconsistent, and the district did not provide a corrected figure at the meeting. The board flagged catastrophic‑aid fluctuations as a significant fiscal strain.
Officials described steps the district has taken to support students in inclusive settings and noted that specialized services (school psychologists, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists) are required and costly.
The board asked staff to continue tracking reimbursement changes and to include special‑education cost drivers in future budget planning discussions.
