Our state faces difficult problems,but there are solutions out there:
Education
What good and bad experiences have you encountered within your school district?
What are the challenges?
Because the state only pays about 30% and the federal government only pays about 16% of the costs of special education services, the rest of the funding comes from school districts' general budgets. This is particularly a problem in a few cases where a child has very high special education costs. It may be difficult for the school districts to pay the higher costs.
Where can we begin?
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Maintain the state's 30% reimbursement rate for special education costs. More funding is needed to maintain the current rate because of increasing costs.
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Support the proposed budget increases of $44 million for SAGE to reduce class sizes, $24 million for bilingual education, and $16 million for school transportation, all progrmas that benefit children with disabilities.
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Provide funding to study the true costs of educating all children. Develop a school finance system that meets the educational needs of all children without overburdening property owners.
