BY SHELBIE HAMILTON
Diving in deeper
The cost
The district’s annual budget has seen cost escalations related to special education program growth for the past two years, district documents state. The stipends being offered contributed to the cost, Dankel said, as well as positions being added. “We have to continue to retain our great special education teachers,” Dankel said. A near-final summary of the district’s finances from the TEA showed that the district allotted $29.25 million for special education in the 2024-25 school year, totaling about $6,943 per student. This amount was up from about $26.43 million in the 2023-24 school year, according to TEA reports. Texas school districts are currently funded at a basic allotment of $6,160 per student served, but funding for special education students is increased based on a weighted system, the TEA’s website states.
Special education teaching staff trends
Percentage of total teaching staff
McKinney ISD
State
250
50K
200
40K
150
30K
100
20K
50
10K
0
0
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
*DATA NOT PROVIDED FOR 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC NOTE: PART-TIME POSITIONS CONTRIBUTE TO TEACHING STAFF TOTALS. UNFILLED POSITIONS NOT INCLUDED.
academic and behavioral support in recent years, she said, including teacher coaching. Whitley said the organization takes an indi- vidual approach to supporting specific school districts. Adjusting to the program growth has also sparked a change in the district’s approach to cam- pus capacities, Dankel said. District officials more frequently assess a facility’s functional capacity rather than its designed capacity, she said. The functional capacity reflects reduced class sizes for special education classrooms, which often have a fewer number of students per teacher than general education classrooms, Womack said. “Special education students deserve and need that level of instruction to meet their accommo- dations,” Womack said. “A large rise in our [special education] population means we are expending more resources to educate our students.”
To address the growing special education stu- dent population, district officials began investing in a stipend for special education teachers. Dankel said this initiative, led by the board of trustees, has grown over the past five years. A $5,000 stipend for various types of special educa- tion teachers was listed as an incentive in a June 2025 district news release. Dankel said the stipend has been an effective recruitment tool since its implementation. “It’s just very difficult to obtain qualified special education teachers,” she said. “Not only do you have to have the appropriate education for that, but you have got to have a heart for that.” Dr. Gracie Whitley, Region 10 Education Service Center’s director of Special Populations, said she has seen similar growth trends in the organiza- tion’s 10-county North Texas service area. The organization has also seen increased requests for
Budget impacts for special education programs
2023-24 school year:
$3.2M budget cost for program growth 63 positions added
2024-25 school year:
$1.9M budget cost for program growth 18 positions added
SOURCE: MCKINNEY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The outlook
their children in a public school. Access to special education services, especially early intervention programs, can provide long-term support for a student academically, but also emotionally and socially, Dopwell said. “The resources at school and feeling that the school is supporting the children has a bigger impact than just the eight hours that the child might be there,” she said.
awareness, but also noted that McKinney and neighboring cities are a popular choice for parents looking for a school district for their children with special education needs. Piper and Dopwell both cited the importance of collaboration between providers and outside experts with district staff when supporting a special education student. Both have worked to advocate for families as they pursue special education accommodations for
Monica Piper, founder and CEO of Stepping Stones ABA Therapy, said she has also seen an increased need for services for school- age children with disabilities in the area. The business, which provides applied behavioral analysis therapy for individuals with autism and other special needs, expanded to include a McKinney location in October 2024. Piper attributes the growth to a variety of factors including environment, genetics and
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MCKINNEY EDITION
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