Bill Description: Senate Bill 1288 (S1288) would establish a new “high-needs student fund” with an initial appropriation of $5 million.
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Does it create, expand, or enlarge any agency, board, program, function, or activity of government? Conversely, does it eliminate or curtail the size or scope of government?
SB 1288 would expand government by creating a new “high-needs student fund." The legislation defines “high-needs students” as a student with a disability whose individualized education program-related costs exceed $30,000. The fund will be used to cover “individualized education program-related expenses incurred solely for providing special education and related services, including but not limited to nursing, interpreting, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, personal care, specialized equipment, extended school-year services, and school-based medicaid match.”
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Does it increase government spending (for objectionable purposes) or debt? Conversely, does it decrease government spending or debt?
SB 1288 proposes an initial appropriation of $5 million for the high-needs fund. Idaho’s education budget has increased dramatically over the past several years. Among the greatest cost drivers is special education, which costs the state nearly $400 million annually. Nationally, the percentage of public school students who are considered “special needs” has increased steadily over the past several decades and is currently as high as 15%. Notably, students can receive an IEP for something as benign as “Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” The debate over special education funding is thus inseparable from the broader cultural phenomenon that has artificially increased the number of students with IEPs. Before any discussion about increasing special education funding should be had, lawmakers ought to conduct an audit of the current system to ensure that the students receiving special accommodations are not diverting resources from those with legitimate needs. Even then, Idaho’s education budget is bloated enough that any additional funding should be offset by eliminating other wasteful or unnecessary programs. It is also worth mentioning that one of the rationales for the bill is to begin addressing the purported "special education funding gap," which is estimated to be north of $100. Therefore, the overall cost of this program can be reasonably expected to greatly increase in the near term if established.
(-1)
