Texas may owe $223M after illegally decreasing special ed funding

[TexasTowelie]

Last October, Texas education officials told lawmakers they would likely owe the federal government $33 million for illegally decreasing funding for kids with disabilities. They reassured them it was a fraction — just 3% — of their federal special education grant and wouldn’t hurt students.

Now, the state’s estimate for how much it could owe has risen to $223 million, nearly a quarter of Texas’ annual special education grant, officials confirmed to The Texas Tribune Friday. That total includes an estimated $111.6 million it may have to pay back for failing to spend it on kids with disabilities this fiscal year.

The U.S. Department of Education has found Texas in violation of a federal statute prohibiting states from reducing their funding for kids with disabilities from year to year, and warned the state that a financial penalty was coming. Now, advocates are concerned that Texas could lose an even bigger chunk of its funding, harming its efforts to overhaul special education for hundreds of thousands of students.

With seven weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers could still spend the $111.6 million needed this year to avoid a federal penalty for 2019 — but the budget is well on its way to being decided.

Read more: https://www.heralddemocrat.com/news/20190405/texas-may-owe-223m-after-illegally-decreasing-special-ed-funding

[dlk]

1. Texas is Extremely Backward in the Way it Treats Special Education Students

Lack of services and not mainstreaming students is just the tip of the iceberg. A Texas educator recently shared with me that the waiting list for services for children on the autism spectrum and other disabilities is currently over 15 years long! How's that for making America great? Republicans have a Dark Ages approach to special needs students, much like their preferred approach in so many other areas.

[Ilsa]

2. Texas refuses to participate in the

Katie Beckett program, which helps middle income families pay for therapies , especially since deductibles and copays are so high.

Anyone with children with disabilities in Texas should get their protests going.

[TexasTowelie]

3. One of my sisters has a son with severe autism.

She struggled with the Victoria ISD repeatedly to keep them in compliance with his educational plan. She moved to Georgia and I doubt that she will ever come back to Texas.

[Ilsa]

4. Wow. Can't say that I blame her for not returning, and

even Georgia isn't one of the better states for help, from what I've read on DU.

What annoys me so much about Texas is the self-righteous attitudes about being "pro-life," but they never put their money where they say their values are.

A psychiatrist I know said that when she was pregnant, autism was the only condition she specifically prayed for her baby not to have. She felt she could handle anything else.

Hugs to your sister.