Lockwood Schools Health Center in Billings, Montana

Special Education History

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Public Law 94-142, in which the federal government mandated the delivery of SPED services in the nation's public schools. The history of SPED in the public schools follows our society's desire to see that each child has access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and that students are educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The law's foundation is largely reflective of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.

Funding for SPED in the public schools comes from three sources - (1) federal grants, which are based largely upon the number of students a district serves in SPED, (2) state funding, the level of which is determined by a state's legislature, is based upon the number of students enrolled in a district (ANB) and (3) local school district contributions, which come from a district's general fund, and make up the difference for what the other two sources fail to cover. When congress passed the law which mandated SPED for students with disabilities back in the early 1970's, they intended that the federal government would pay 40% of the cost for this predictably expensive mandate. Unfortunately, the federal government has never come close to this level of funding, and subsequently the greater financial burden has fallen upon states and local districts.

In recent years, congress has blocked some of the administration's new education programs, insisting that spending on new education initiatives should be postponed until the federal government meets its obligation to fund federally mandated SPED programs. Currently, the federal government is paying for approximately 16% of the cost of delivering SPED in Montana. Bipartisan efforts, in recent years, have lead to significant increases in this federal assistance, and it appears that this will continue.

At a state level, the Montana Legislature recently awarded the first SPED funding increase in a decade - a 4% increase. State funding now accounts for @44% of the cost of providing these services. By far, the greatest share of funding the increased costs of SPED has come from the local general fund (district) budgets. Montana districts have seen a 900% increase in their contributions to SPED programs over the past 10 years. A snapshot of the 1999-2000 school year for Montana shows that of the $75 million spent on SPED programs, the federal government provided slightly more than $12 million, the state of Montana provided just under $34 million, and local districts picked up the remaining $29 million in costs.

At our local level, Federal Grants cover @25%, the State covers @37%, and the local district covers Å 38% of the costs associated with SPED programs at Lockwood. As an elementary district, it is predictable that Lockwood would have a greater portion of its student body qualified for Special Education services. Indeed, 16% of Lockwood's students receive services from our SPED staff.

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	Special Education History This year marks the 25th anniversary of Public Law 94-142, in which the federal government mandated the delivery of SPED services in the nation's public schools. The history of SPED in the public schools follows our society's desire to see that each child has access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and that students are educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The law's foundation is largely reflective of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Funding for SPED in the public schools comes from three sources - (1) federal grants, which are based largely upon the number of students a district serves in SPED, (2) state funding, the level of which is determined by a state's legislature, is based upon the number of students enrolled in a district (ANB) and (3) local school district contributions, which come from a district's general fund, and make up the difference for what the other two sources fail to cover. When congress passed the law which mandated SPED for students with disabilities back in the early 1970's, they intended that the federal government would pay 40% of the cost for this predictably expensive mandate. Unfortunately, the federal government has never come close to this level of funding, and subsequently the greater financial burden has fallen upon states and local districts. In recent years, congress has blocked some of the administration's new education programs, insisting that spending on new education initiatives should be postponed until the federal government meets its obligation to fund federally mandated SPED programs. Currently, the federal government is paying for approximately 16% of the cost of delivering SPED in Montana. Bipartisan efforts, in recent years, have lead to significant increases in this federal assistance, and it appears that this will continue. At a state level, the Montana Legislature recently awarded the first SPED funding increase in a decade - a 4% increase. State funding now accounts for @44% of the cost of providing these services. By far, the greatest share of funding the increased costs of SPED has come from the local general fund (district) budgets. Montana districts have seen a 900% increase in their contributions to SPED programs over the past 10 years. A snapshot of the 1999-2000 school year for Montana shows that of the $75 million spent on SPED programs, the federal government provided slightly more than $12 million, the state of Montana provided just under $34 million, and local districts picked up the remaining $29 million in costs. At our local level, Federal Grants cover @25%, the State covers @37%, and the local district covers Å 38% of the costs associated with SPED programs at Lockwood. As an elementary district, it is predictable that Lockwood would have a greater portion of its student body qualified for Special Education services. Indeed, 16% of Lockwood's students receive services from our SPED staff.