From the cover
Coppell ISD navigates rising cost of special programs
BY JONATHAN PERRIELLO
The impact
The details
Growing program enrollment means conducting more student evaluations, a necessity to deter- mine eligibility. The enrollment-contingent state funding doesn’t cover evaluations, which cost $1,500 each, according to the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding. Districts also evaluate more students than they serve, which burns through resources, said April Estrada, Region 10 director of special populations. Finding qualified evaluation staff is also a challenge, Flores said. “When we can’t fill positions, we tend to use contracted services, and then it’s more expensive,” she said. CISD is pursuing a grant to help fund these contracted services, Flores said. As of April 19, CISD is serving 1,548 students through special education.
All three revenue streams covered around 60% of CISD’s program expenses in 2022- 23, leaving the rest for CISD to fund through reallocation and other methods. The state allocates special education funding based on instructional settings, such as speech therapy, Sircar said. Settings vary by disability, and each has a different weight the state multiplies by the basic per student allotment. HB 3 slightly increased this weight in 2019, but the funding model has been in place since the 1990s, according to the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding.
State funds don’t cover all the program costs, Chief Financial Officer Diana Sircar said. CISD received nearly $10 million in special education funding from the state in 2022-23, Sircar said. Another $2 million came through an annual federal special education grant. The district also receives about $1.2 million a year through the federal School Health and Related Services program, which reimburses districts for special education services. However, in 2017, the Office of the Inspector General audited Texas reimbursements and found some services ineligible. As a result, CISD’s School Health and Related Services funding dropped $700,000 last year, Sircar said.
Special education spending
The district's expenses have nearly tripled within the last two decades.
$25M
Spending per student: $709
Spending per student: $1,544
$20M
285 246
Evaluations in 2023-24
$15M
Eligible evaluated students in 2023-24
$10M
$5M
$427,500 10-12
Total evaluation cost in 2023-24
0
Hours per evaluation
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: COPPELL ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming in
The action taken
Texas Education Agency data. In 2022-23 CISD spent $1,544 per student com- pared to GCISD’s $1,236 and WISD’s $1,153. “[The reason CISD spends more is] difficult to nail down, but it may be the type of students that we serve have more severe needs,” Sircar said.
CISD special education enrollment increased by almost 57% between 2018-2023. When compared to similar-sized districts, such as Waco ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, CISD has spent more on special education overall and per student since 2020-21 despite lower program enrollment, per
In a 2022 report to the 88th Texas Legislature, the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding recommended a service-based funding model, direct funding for evaluations and other changes. The model categorizes students into weighted funding tiers based on need. The state is implementing the changes, Estrada said. Districts could see the new formula model during the 2026-27 school year, according to the report. “So even though we’re looking at the budget and at different ways to support our learners despite not having adequate funding from the state or federally, I feel like we’re in a good place,” Flores said.
Special education enrollment
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Coppell ISD
Waco ISD
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
12
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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