Special education expenses are a major cost-driver in school districts’ budgets. The Special Education Contingency Fund provides additional fiscal support to schools for costs related to implementing individualized education plans (IEPs) for students with significant disabilities with unexpected costs. Currently, 1% of the state Special Education Fund (SEF) appropriation is annually directed to the Contingency Fund.
 
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would implement several reforms recommended by the Special Education Funding Commission to improve the Contingency Fund, including:
 

• Increase the share of the SEF appropriation directed to the Contingency Fund from 1% to 2%. This would help expand access to Contingency Fund funding by directing more resources to the Contingency Fund, Annual applications for the Contingency Fund consistently far exceed available resources. 

• Distribute funds from the increase in the percentage of SEF funding directed to the Contingency Fund based on the cost of the student relative to the applicant district’s total special education instructional costs. Currently, many schools receiving funds are in large districts with large special education budgets. This reform would help ensure access to Contingency Fund dollars for smaller districts. 

• Limit the application to the Contingency Fund for a student to 2 school years.  The fund is intended to cover emergent extraordinary special education costs of individual students that have not been factored into a school’s operating budget. However, some schools are submitting applications and receiving funding for the same student for multiple years. This reform codifies Contingency Fund guidance, which advises that this funding should not be presupposed in schools’ budgets. Further, this change may allow a larger number of schools to access Contingency Fund resources.

These reforms would ensure that more schools and students receive the imperative support and resources they need.

Please join me in cosponsoring this common-sense legislation.