Full Funding of November 2022 SPECIAL EDUCATION - Special Education Funding Coming Up Short

Oct 15, 2026

Special education state aid is failing to keep pace with the rising cost of legally required services for students with disabilities. School districts must fund these obligations regardless of available funding, shifting resources away from general education. Kansas sees rapid growth in IDEA-identified students, while special education expenses and staffing increases outstrip inflation and available state and federal aid, leaving districts to cover “excess cost” locally.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Special Education Funding Coming Up Short

Student enrollment and identification trends

Staffing needs and teacher growth

Cost growth and excess cost

State and federal aid gaps

Full Funding of November 2022 SPECIAL EDUCATION Special Education Funding Coming Up Short Special education state aid isn't keeping pace with the cost of providing the services required by federal and state law. School districts must provide these services, regardless of funding provided, forcing districts to shift funding away from general education programs. This year, school districts are receiving $163 million less state special education aid than they are supposed to get under state law. Special education costs are growing. Growing student needs and earlier identification results in more students qualifying for services. In addition, Kansas law exceeds federal law in several areas, such as requiring services to gifted students and guaranteeing additional rights to parents. | Year | Headcount Enrollment | | Licensed Teachers | | Total USD Staff | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | Special
Education
Students
(w/disabilities) | Total
Enrollment | Special
Education | Total
Teachers | Special
Education | Total Staff | | 2011 | 63,889 | 485,082 | 3,841.4 | 34,074.8 | 10,090.4 | 68, 186.80 | | 2021 | 75,306 | 483,297 | 4,236.8 | 35,573.3 | 10,699.3 | 71,854.30 | | \# Change | + 11,417 | -1,785 | +395 .4 | + 1,499 | +608 .9 | +3,668 | | % Change | + 17.9% | -0.4% | + 10. 3% | +4 .4% | +6 .0% | +5 .4% | Special Education Students Are Outpacing Overall Enrollment The number of students identified with disabilities under IDEA and requiring special services is increasing, based on changes in federal and state policies, as well as increased parental requests. The number of special education students in Kansas has increased nearly 18 percent over the past 10 years. This increase comes at the same time that total student enrollment in Kansas was growing slowly then began to decline around 2020-2021. Note: This trend is reported in headcount enrollment. This represents the total number of individual students served, even though many special education students receive services for only a portion of the day. It's important to note that every student with an IEP receives services above and beyond what they would receive as a regular education student. When gifted students are included, the total special education headcount enrollment was just over 88,000 Kansas students in fiscal year 2022. To Serve More Students, Districts Need More Staff Most special education services are provided by specially trained staff members. To serve more students, districts must hire more special education teachers and paraprofessionals. The number of licensed special education teachers in Kansas has increased by nearly 400, or more than 10%, in the past decade — more than double the percent increase among all licensed teachers. Total special education staff, which includes both teachers and special education paraprofessionals, has increased six percent, a higher rate than total staff. Keep reading to learn why total school district staff has increased more than total student enrollment. Special Education Costs Have Grown Much More Than Inflation The total special education expenditures by school districts have increased by 31.5% from 2011-2021, when combining the cost of additional staff with other costs of providing services to an increasing number of students. This increase is 50 percent higher than the rate of inflation over the same period (20 .5%) . The rate of special education cost increases makes sense, given the rate of increase in the number of students and staff. In the Kansas school finance formula, special education funding is designed to fund the additional costs to provide special education services to a student, sometimes referred to as "excess cost." This covers the additional expenses, beyond what it costs to teach a general education student. Under this formula, the excess cost has risen by over 43%, compared to total special education expenditures, which increased 31.5% . Ne

FAQs

Why is special education state aid coming up short in Kansas?

Special education state aid is not keeping pace with the increasing cost of required services under federal and state law, forcing districts to divert funds from general education.

What is driving the increase in special education students?

Growth in student needs, earlier identification, changes in federal and state policies, and increased parental requests have increased the number of students qualifying for services.

How do special education costs and staff changes compare from 2011 to 2021?

From 2011-2021, total special education expenditures rose 31.5%, while special education staffing and licensed teacher counts increased as student enrollment grew, outpacing inflation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks