Education recommendations > Raise the reimbursement for special education costs
Raise the reimbursement for special education costs
Of all states with a reimbursement system for special education costs,
Wisconsin’s rate of 28.2% is the country’s lowest.
Wisconsin’s rate of 28.2% is the country’s lowest.
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he state commits a relatively large portion of its discretionary budget toward K-12 education. This funding comes in two pots: general school aids and categorial aids, funded by general purpose tax revenue. The general school aid formula distributes funding throughout the state to the 421 school districts. The state school aid formula has an equalization goal to provide more aid to those districts with lower property values. The second pot of funding, categorical aid, is aimed at delivering state funding for specific educational purposes. There are currently 31 categories of aid. These categories have built up over time to address specific needs or respond to new priorities.
Special education funding is categorical aid to support the additional cost to serving students with special needs. Because independent charter and choice schools have significantly lower per-pupil funding, the cost burden for providing special education services is even greater. |
One thing all three sectors -- MPS, charter and choice -- have in common is the makeup of the students. All three sectors serve economically disadvantaged students (80-82%) and students who are English learners (9-12%). There is, however, a gap serving students with disabilities (10-21%), with MPS carrying the higher number in this range. Raising reimbursements for the costs of special education would have the added benefit of giving more parents options, while lessening the concentration of special education students
in MPS. 
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