Assignment: State (Mississippi) District (North Bolivar Consolidated School District)
Across the states, there has been a shift from funding ESE students on a per student basis toward a census allocation. "Census" type allocations allocate additional funds for the high cost of special education based on an expected incidence rate. In some states, this represents a fixed amount per student (all students) to cover the additional costs of providing special education services. Since this allocation is provided based upon the total student enrollment, there is no incentive to over-identify special education students.
The following site reviews the level of " Inclusion" across the United States.
This site provides the incidence rate of disabled students:
The following site provides information regarding the incidence rate/service of ELL (English Language Learners) across the United States.
These are also referred to as ESL, ESOL, etc. The ELL programs DO NOT come under the category of special education. However, the costs of providing these services is greater than that of regular/basic students and is often addressed through a Program Cost Factor (i.e. weigh).
The following comments address the funding of special education in Florida:
Since the inception of the FEFP, students in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) in Florida have been funded with weighted Program Cost Factors (PCF) to account for the increased cost of providing educational services to these students.
For ESE students to be successful in school, they may require one or more of following services:
• Smaller student/teacher ratios
• Teachers with expertise in particular areas (i.e. speech therapy)
• Additional support services not required by regular students *i.e. psychological counseling)
• Additional course materials adapted to their individual needs
• Assistive technology devices
• Services which extend beyond the regular school day
It is obvious that these and other special services can add additional costs to the operating budget of a school system.
Write a paper (minimum of 5 pages of narrative) addressing the following questions. You must include references (failure to do so will result in a 1.0 point reduction)!
• What approach does your state take toward funding special education? If program cost factors are applied, identify how these are applied and give an example of how the value of different types of ESE students are determined.
• How does your state fund the high cost of residential students?
• Does your state's funding approach to special education encourage the districts to keep students in the program? Are districts financially rewarded for identifying students? Explain.
• How does your district utilize the funds received under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?