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By Julie Schurman, Esq., Director of Public Policy, The Arc & UCP California Collaboration
California has made a commitment to providing additional resources to students who need them most. But when it comes to special education, our funding system still does not adequately account for the intensive supports required by some students with disabilities.
AB 2526 (Muratsuchi) would take an important step toward changing that by expanding targeted special education funding to include students with disabilities who are eligible to take California’s alternate assessments and often have high support needs.
The Arc of California is proud to support this important legislation.
The Problem: Special Education Costs Continue to Rise
School districts across California are required to provide every student with a disability the services and supports included in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). But the funding districts receive does not always reflect the actual cost of providing those services.
This is particularly challenging for students with high support needs who may require intensive instructional supports, specialized staff, therapies, equipment, or other services throughout the school day.
When state and federal special education funding does not cover those costs, school districts must make up the difference using their general funds. That puts pressure on school budgets and makes it harder to ensure schools have the resources necessary to serve every student.
What Would AB 2526 Do?
California already provides additional funding for students with certain “low-incidence disabilities,” including hearing impairments, vision impairments, and severe orthopedic impairments. These funds help Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) provide the specialized services and equipment required by students’ IEPs.
AB 2526 would expand this funding structure to include another group of students with intensive support needs: students who are eligible to take California’s alternate assessments.
Eligibility for an alternate assessment is determined by a student’s IEP team and is based on the student’s individual needs, rather than simply their disability diagnosis.
This is an important distinction. AB 2526 moves California toward a special education funding system that better recognizes the level of support a student needs, rather than relying solely on a student’s disability category.
Protecting Existing Special Education Funding
AB 2526 is also carefully structured to protect students who already receive support through California’s low-incidence disability funding program.
The bill would only expand the funding formula if the Legislature provides additional funding for the expanded group of students. Existing funding would not simply be divided among a larger population.
That means students with hearing, vision, and severe orthopedic impairments would continue to generate the funding they do today, while California would have a framework to provide additional resources for students who are eligible for alternate assessments and have intensive support needs.
Students with High Support Needs Deserve the Resources to Succeed
Students with high support needs may require some of the most intensive special education services. California’s funding system should recognize that reality.
AB 2526 provides a path toward directing additional resources to schools serving these students and ensuring that funding more closely follows student need.
The bill has already received broad support from educators, school districts, SELPAs, disability advocates, and other organizations across California. The Arc of California is proud to be among its supporters.
California must invest in students with disabilities and ensure that our special education funding system reflects the real needs of the students it serves.
For these reasons, The Arc of California supports AB 2526 and respectfully urges Governor Newsom to sign the bill.