Mission

Reform the funding and accountability systems for special education in Pennsylvania.

Core Principles

The goals of the coalition working to reform the state system for special education funding and accountability are as follows.
These principles are reflected in the legislation:

1. Providing a quality public education for children with disabilities is important for the well-being of families and communities throughout the Commonwealth. Every Pennsylvanian benefits from this investment.

2. Educators know how to help students with disabilities to succeed in school, or can be trained on these skills. The missing ingredient is often the funding needed to support professional development, quality instruction, and support services.

3. Pennsylvania’s system for funding special education is broken and must be fixed. Currently, the state is distributing funds without a rational system related to student and district needs. The level of state funding is also too low, which forces local school districts to carry an excessive burden and puts pressure on property taxes.

4. Another consequence of insufficient resources is that schools do not effectively include and educate eligible students with disabilities in regular classrooms with supports. Pennsylvania ranks among the states offering the least inclusion, despite legal mandates for considering this process and despite proven benefits in school and after graduation for students with disabilities, with some exceptions, and their peers. Funding and accountability reforms are needed for increasing the amount and quality of appropriate inclusion in public schools.

5. The Governor and General Assembly have a constitutional responsibility for implementing major reforms to the state system for special education funding and accountability. In 2008, the Commonwealth adopted comprehensive reforms to the funding system for public education, but failed to include special education in these reforms.

Key facts about special education:

391 of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts are inadequately funded for special education.

• Statewide, the annual total adequacy gap for special education is $380 million. The average per pupil gap is $1,947. The average shortfall per school district is $1 million.
• Fundamental needs that go under-served include adequate staffing and professional development; assistive technology devices; and other student supports and services.
• Closing the state share of these gaps will require an annual increase of $33 million for special education, starting after the recession in 2011.

Talking Points

• Please support reform of the state funding system for special education.
• The current funding system is broken, is unfair, and does not provide enough resources for special education in the right places. It sets the number of students eligible for state funding for special education at 16% regardless of whether the district has fewer or more students receiving special education. It also does not focus the funding on strategies that have a track record for improving student performance.
• I have experience with how this broken system hurts children with disabilities and all students.
• I know many families and educators who feel the same way. We will be doing our part to support your leadership on this issue.
• Please take action to adopt this important reform and to fix this problem.

Supporting Organizations

Disability Rights Network

Education Law Center

The Arc of Pennsylvania

ACHIEVA

Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania

Alliance for Infants

Western PA Coalition of Education Advocates

The Total Learning Center

Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center (PEAL)

Vision for Equality

Mentor Parent Program

Local Task Force on the Right to Education, IU 2

Local Task Force on the Right to Education, IU 6

The Parent Learning Support Network

Kids Together, Inc.

Pennsylvania’s Education for All Coalition, Inc.

Philadelphia Right to Education Local Task Force #26

Center for Independent Living of North Central PA

Chester County Right to Education Task Force

Good Schools Pennsylvania

Parents United for Public Education

Local Task Force #3 (Allegheny Co.)

DuBois Special Education PTA

Coalition of Inclusion Advocates

Liberty Resources

Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALFIE)

Local Task Force on the Right To Education, Delaware County

Local Task Force on the Right To Education, Midwesterrn Intermediate Unit IV

Pennsylvania TASH

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia

Public Citizens for Children and Youth

Autism Sharing and Parenting

Pennsylvania NAACP

Philadelphia Student Union

Support Center for Child Advocates

Statewide Early Intervention Coalition of Advocate

Pennsylvania Council of Churches

Education Voters of Pennsylvania

Action United

Youth United for Change

Juntos

Join the Campaign

To join, contact Baruch Kintisch or Sandy Zelno at the Education Law Center: bkintisch@elc-pa.org or 215-238-6970 extension 320; szelno@elc-pa.org or 412-255-6414