Reform Special Education Funding
Currently viewing the category:
"News"
State Reps. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster; Barbara McIlvaine Smith, D-Chester; James Roebuck, D-Philadelphia; and Keith McCall (D-Carbon) were among the 65 co-sponsors of legislation approved today making the state’s special education funding formula more equitable and strengthening accountability for effective investment of new funding.
Representatives Roebuck and McIlvaine Smith were among the 22 Education Committee members approving the legislation. House Bill 704 aims to close the state’s share of the $380 million adequacy gap over a period of six years and to base state funding to school districts on a district’s five-year average of actual students enrolled in special education.
“I am proud to see the House Education Committee today approve House Bill 704,” Rep. Sturla said. “We are one step closer to providing comprehensive accountability and equitable funding for all special education students.”
The Right to Education local task force at Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV recently voted to join the list of groups supporting special education funding reform. Welcome!
Sen. Dinniman (D-19) yesterday introduced SB 940, a nearly identical version of HB 704, that would reform special education funding and accountability in Pennsylvania.
Senator Dinniman is preparing to introduce his version of the bill for special education funding and accountability reform. The bill should be introduced late on Monday afternoon, June 1.
Thus – Senator Dinniman needs our help TODAY, Friday and Monday morning. We need to help him sign up lots of senators to co-sponsor the bill.
Please take the following actions:
- First, call all senators that you know and ask them to call Senator Dinniman’s office TODAY and co-sponsor the special education bill. (The bill will not have a number until it is introduced.)
- Second, please issue a strong alert throughout your entire network for all individuals to call or e-mail their own state senator, asking the legislator to call Senator Dinniman’s office TODAY and co-sponsor the special education bill. (The bill will not have a number until it is introduced.)
Use the following talking points:
- Please call Senator Dinniman’s office and co-sponsor the special education bill. The bill will be introduced late on Monday afternoon, June 1.
- I am asking you to support reform of the state funding and accountability 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 am your constituent and I have personal experience with how this broken system hurts children with disabilities and all students.
Thank you for taking quick action on this important issue. We are making great progress; the House version of the bill (H.B. 704) is up to 64 co-sponsors and had a successful hearing this month.
Last week, members of the coalition to reform special education funding in Pennsylvania testified before the House Education Committee.
We’ve previously published a summary of the testimony. Now, we’ve made the presentation document available . It offers thorough details on the history of special education funding in Pennsylvania and underscores the need to establish a fair funding and accountability formula. This is excellent material for use at a community meeting, so feel free to download and print copies.
House Education Committee Hearing on HB 704 - Wednesday, May 6
Pennsylvania Legislative Services has a recap of yesterday’s Education Committee Hearing.
COMMITTEE NEWS
House Education Committee
9:00 a.m., 5/6/09, Room G-50 Irvis Office Building
By Matt Hess
The committee held a public hearing on HB 704.
HB 704 Sturla – (PN 1651) Amends Public School Code, in reimbursement by Commonwealth and between school districts, further providing for definitions; and outlining a funding formula for special education for student achievement and instruction of eligible students in regular classrooms; and providing for special education accountability to Commonwealth taxpayers. The Department of Education shall submit a report to the Governor and General Assembly recommending increased standards and the General Assembly shall consider legislation revising the criteria, in any year in which 75% of all school districts meet the criteria and qualify for the 1.15 factor for funding. The Department of Education shall determine the form and manner in which school districts shall submit a special education plan and revisions, updates and amendments to the special education plan.
Continue reading »
House Education Committee members at yesterday’s hearing asked how other states are funding special education. The Education Law Center’s David Lapp researched other states’ special education funding and presented a synopsis of his findings to the committee members, noting how many of our neighboring states have adopted a funding formula very similar to the one proposed in HB 704.
David’s full report is here: DRAFT: State Survey of Special Education Funding Formulas.
Here’s a clear, one-page outline of the history of Pennsylvania’s special education funding.
The PA House Education Committee hearing on Wednesday, May 6 is a critical moment for the campaign to reform Pennsylvania’s special education funding and accountability system.
UPDATE: In the past the week the campaign has made great strides, getting HB 704 introduced with nearly 60 co-sponsors and receiving press coverage on the bill in newspapers throughout the state. The hearing on May 6, however, is crucial for the future of the bill. Members of the Arc of Pennsylvania, the Disabilities Rights Network, the Education Law Center, and Good Schools Pennsylvania will testify, along with bill sponsor Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster) and education officials, on the importance of a new special education funding and accountability formula.
MAY 6 HEARING: A strong showing of support by families, advocates, and organizations is important at this stage of the campaign. Please notify your contacts. The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. in Room 50 (ground floor) of the Irvis Office Building (attached to the rear east corner of the Capitol). If you are able to attend and need more information please contact the Education Law Center’s Baruch Kintisch at bkintisch@elc-pa.org, (215) 238-6970 ext. 320 or Sandy Zelno at szelno@elc-pa.org, (412) 255-6414. Following the hearing there will be a strategy session on the next steps for our work.
CO-SPONSORS STILL NEEDED: In addition to a strong showing at the hearing, we need to push the number of bill co-sponsors as close to 100 as possible, so please check the current list of sponsors — here — and if you’re local representative has not signed on yet, urge them to do so immediately.
STORIES NEEDED: Finally, as part of our ongoing media outreach we’re looking for parents, educators, even students to tell their stories of how underfunding special education has affected them and how a new funding and accountability formula can help. If you, or someone you know, would like to share your experience, please contact the Education Law Center’s Brett Schaeffer at bschaeffer@elc-pa.org or (215) 238-6970 ext. 334
CONFERENCE CALLS: We will hold two optional conference calls if you would like a chance to talk by phone, get updates, and prepare for this advocacy work — 4 p.m., Monday, May 4 and 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 5. The dial-in number is (866) 244-1716 and the code is 5555-604-083 followed by #.
* Continue to check this site for updates and materials on the campaign. You can also subscribe to the site’s RSS feed: http://reformspecialedfunding.org/feed/
Rep. Sturla introduces HB 704
A news brief from the AP was picked up in a few papers; Eleanor Chute from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did a news brief and longer piece; and Brian Wallace at the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal did a longer piece quoting Sturla and Baruch.
Chute’s piece: Proposed bill would change special education funding formula
Wallace’s piece: Sturla: Boost special education
The brief appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Harrisburg Patriot-News, the Lebanon Daily News and Lehigh Valley Live – which is the Web site for the Easton Express Times and several other papers in that area.
