A local State Assemblyman has helped introduce legislation to provide Wisconsin schools with sufficient special education funding.
26th District Assemblyman Joe Sheehan and his Democratic colleagues on the education committee have brought forth LRB-5599.
This bill will ensure schools receive a 42% reimbursement rate in 2025-2026 and 45% in 2026-2027 for special education, the amounts that were originally projected to be covered when the 2025-2027 Biennial Budget was passed earlier this year.
However, Rep. Sheehan says that the Department of Public Instruction has recently informed the public that current funding will only reimburse schools for 35% of their special education funding for the current school year, significantly less than what many believed was previously agreed upon.
He continued to say, “School districts have already built their budgets for the 2025-2026 school year with the expectation of 42% reimbursement from the state for their costs associated with providing special education.”
With this lapse in funding, the Sheboygan Area School District, which Sheehan represents, would be short nearly $1.5 million this school year.
With many schools across the state facing similar financial hurdles, Sheean finished by saying, “Without the backing of the state government, local districts will have no other choice but to make cuts to other parts of their budget to keep their special education programs going.”
