Establishes a new high-cost special education fund to pool resources and generate income to support excess costs associated with providing service to special education students.
Amends the term "extraordinary costs" for the purposes of excess costs associated with special education students. The new definition of extraordinary costs would be educational costs that are over 3 times the average statewide special education cost.
Amends State funding calculations for special education, revising extraordinary cost calculations for FY 2027-2028, and providing additional funds for excess costs when special education students move into a district after the budget is approved.
Amends categorical state funding to include excess costs associated with transporting homeless students to out-of-district public schools.
Amend the calculation of state funding provided to local education agencies for special education services.
Establishes the Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Act.
Establishes the Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Act.
Mandates additional state education funding for the mental and behavioral health of students equal to 2% of the district’s total expenditures, and require those funds be used to hire staff such as school social workers, and behavioral specialists.
Mandates additional state education funding for the mental and behavioral health of students equal to 2% of the district’s total expenditures, and require those funds be used to hire staff such as school social workers, and behavioral specialists.
Establishes a new program where the per pupil funding, calculated annually by RIDE, would be transferred into a newly created educational funding account run by the children's scholarship fund to pay for educational expenses.