HARRISBURG, June 13, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Pennsylvania’s new Special Education Funding Formula Commission opened public hearings today in Harrisburg by listening to experts from throughout the state talk about the intricacies of special education funding.
The 15-member commission is looking to write a new funding formula to deliver more targeted instruction and programs, and to more effectively pay for special education throughout the commonwealth. The commission has until Sept. 30 to submit its recommendations.
“The special education officials who testified today made it very clear that this is a problem that needs to be solved, even though it will be difficult to do so,” Schwank said. “Special education is highly personal – and it needs to be because each student who is educated this way is different. There will not be one solution for everyone.”
To underline the senator’s point, Betsy Somerville, the director of special education in the Canon-McMillan School District in western PA, said it’s hard to budget for her 701 special education students.
“It’s so individualized. It truly is,” Somerville said.
“Needs are idiosyncratic,” said Louise Fick, Parkland School District’s supervisor of special education.
To address the challenge, Schwank said the commission will continue holding public hearings this year. While locations will be announced later, the newly created panel is scheduled to meet July 10, July 25, Aug. 7, Aug. 22, Sept. 4 and Sept. 19.
The Special Education Funding Formula Commission came into being after House Bill 2 was signed into law on April 25. HB2 is guiding the group to consider funding for students with least-intensive to most-intensive disabilities. Other factors will also be considered.
Autism, blindness, physical disability, deafness, mental retardation and mentally gifted students are considered under current state law to be eligible for special education instruction.
Special education, itself, is “specially designed instruction” that, once determined, is mapped by an individualized education program, or IEP. The IEP is designed to meet the student’s learning needs and to keep him or her in the general education curriculum. However, special education students are not required to do all of the same work at the same level and pace as other students.
“We learned much today from the special education experts who appeared before us,” Schwank said. “This will be a challenging issue to solve, but I believe it’s one this commission will rise to meet for the betterment of our children.”
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More information on Sen. Schwank is available on her website, Facebook and Twitter.