Funding for special education and English language programs increased in the new Indiana budget

Indianapolis, Indiana – More state cash has been set aside by Indiana lawmakers for special education and English language programs.

“Special education funding is a constant battle that we’re fighting,” said Linda Watkins, director of special services for Wayne Township schools.

“Age eligibility determines the funding that we get for each student, and some of those numbers have been stagnant since the ’90s,” she added.

With the new, two-year state budget, that is changing. For each of the following two years, it gives a 5% boost for special education grants. The grants allocated to each student who is studying English as a second language will rise by 23%.

“It’ll allow us to recoup more special education teachers, allow school districts to have the resources they need to recruit and retain special education teachers,” said Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association.

Many school systems, including the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation, are happy about the increase. Harold Olin, the district’s superintendent, claims that the number of English language learners has significantly increased. According to him, more staff may be hired to teach those pupils as a result of the extra budget.

“That number has almost doubled for us from where it was two years ago,” Olin said. “So to have some supports in place there has been very difficult for us to meet those needs.”

Kim Dodson of The Arc of Indiana worries that the boost for special education is insufficient, especially when taking inflation into account.

“It’s certainly not what it needs to be,” Dodson said. “We’re happy that the legislature saw the need to do something. But we really would love to see a more thoughtful approach to special education.”

Watkins admitted that the field also requires more workers, but she said the new state cash is helpful.

“It’s the actual people, the bodies that we are lacking right now,” Watkins said. “We have positions posted currently.”

After the budget is implemented on July 1st, additional funding becomes available.