Senate passes comprehensive special education bill

On April 7th, the Texas Senate passed SB 568 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), a comprehensive special education bill.

Among the major changes in the bill is a change in how special education is funded. In current law, special education funding is determined by the number of special education students in a school district, but SB 568 would change that to an "intensity of services" based model. Special education covers a wide range of students, from those with disabilities that require minimal services and others whose disabilities require dedicated staff to support those students, sometimes even at a one-to-one ratio. Special education advocates have long called for an intensity-based model to more appropriately fund special education in Texas. Without proper funding, school districts have resorted to using their normal operations funds to provide services for high-needs students, as required by federal law. This funding model change will be welcomed by school districts and teachers alike.

Other provisions in the bill include the expansion of eligibility for special education services to students under three years of age, grant programs for students with autism, and grant programs for training staff to provide services to students with dyslexia.

TCTA initially supported the bill for the much-needed change to special education funding, but shifted to a neutral position in response to several changes regarding behavior intervention training. Despite retracting full-throated support for the bill, the changes to the funding model will almost certainly have a positive effect on special education across the state.

The bill now heads to the House for further debate.

Updates from the Capitol

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