Owen Donohoe - Kansas State Representative 39th District

Legislative Update July 2009

Previous Legislative Updates

Catastrophic Aid for Special Education
In our recent Legislative Education Planning Committee (LEPC) meetings, I heard testimony from school districts and special education cooperatives about the recent challenges to the catastrophic special education aid. (Special education is a key piece of the education budget, which accounts for more than 50% of the state budget, so we must address this issue swiftly.)

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State “catastrophic aid” was designed in 1994 to protect students with catastrophic disabilities and the districts that serve them. The law (KSA 72-983) states that any student, no matter how severe his/her disability, would be guaranteed the right to receive an appropriate education in Kansas and that devastating expenses not covered by state aid for personnel and transportation would be covered by this state catastrophic aid. Funds are disbursed through the special education budget.

KSA 72-983 states that reimbursement to districts will be at 75 percent of costs exceeding $25,000 (per student) for the school year.

The number of students qualifying for catastrophic special education aid has increased by nearly 900% over a 5-year period, with only three school districts getting more than 75% of the funding last year.

This issue has become pressing as we anticipate additional cuts to many areas of the state budget. But the formula for catastrophic aid to education appears to be flawed, and I am working diligently to assess the situation and consider alternatives that can deliver a fair solution for some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.

During this break in the legislative session, I welcome your input on proposed solutions for this very complex problem. I encourage you to learn more about the catastrophic special education aid issue by reading these reports that were presented to the Legislative Education Planning Committee.

Review the presentation to the committee >>
Review the financial summary from the Kansas Dept. of Education >>

Share your recommendations on this issue >>