Oregon special education funding drops; state may face federal sanctions | OregonLive.com

Oregon special education funding drops; state may face federal sanctions | OregonLive.com

Oregon special education funding drops; state may face federal sanctions

Published: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 10:00 AM

Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian
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Oregon wants to seek a waiver from the federal government to avoid cuts to special education in the 2011-12 school year.

Federal special education law requires states to fund special education at the same level or higher from year to year or face penalties. But Oregon’s 2010-11 special education funding is about down $19 million compared to 2009-10.

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Oregon Department of Education officials say recent statewide budget cuts are to blame and hope that a clause in the federal law - which makes an exception for “uncontrollable circumstances” and “unforeseen decline in the financial resources of a state” - will prevent sanctions.

If the waiver request is denied, the federal government will reduce its contribution to the state by $19 million for the 2011-12 school year - a 15 percent reduction in federal money that would directly impact local schools statewide.

“A sanction at the state level would put an additional hardship on our school districts that are already struggling,” said Nancy Latini, Oregon Department of Education’s assistant