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The Capitol building in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n
Anna M. Tinsley<\/p>\n
Star-Telegram archives<\/p>\n
Texas has a new way of determining how much funding schools get for special education services.<\/p>\n
The change took effect this school year, moving away from the way the state has funded special education for years.<\/p>\n
But could it affect the services your child receives? And does the new system mean more money for schools?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcf0 In case you missed it: <\/p>\n
How is special education funding changing in Texas?<\/p>\n
For years, how much special education funding a school received for a student depended on how that student received services during the school day.<\/p>\n
For example, funding could differ depending on whether a student received help in a general education classroom or spent part or most of the day in a separate special education classroom.<\/p>\n
Under the new system, funding is based more on the level of services and support each student needs, according to the Texas Education Agency.<\/a><\/p>\n Each student will be assigned one of eight funding tiers<\/a> based on the services already documented in their individualized education program (IEP).<\/p>\n To determine the tier, schools look at how much support a student needs in five areas<\/a>: learning and instruction, behavior, communication, independent functioning and personal care\/health.<\/p>\n Separate from those tiers, some students may also qualify for additional funding through one of five service groups<\/a> for services like occupational or physical therapy and one on one support.<\/p>\n The tiers range from Tier 1 for students who receive only speech therapy to Tier 8 for students whose ARD committee determines they need to attend a residential placement program.<\/p>\n The tiers in between are based on the amount and type of support outlined in the student\u2019s IEP.<\/p>\n Will the new funding system change my child\u2019s special education services?<\/p>\n Parents and school staff will continue to decide what services a student needs through the ARD process.<\/p>\n The TEA says<\/a> a student\u2019s funding tier shouldn\u2019t be used to decide their placement, where they receive services or what services they receive.<\/p>\n Parents also don\u2019t need to worry about calculating or agreeing to a funding tier during the ARD meeting.<\/p>\n The TEA says a campus member of the committee can review the student\u2019s IEP afterward and determine the appropriate funding classification.<\/p>\n How much more money will Texas spend on special education?<\/p>\n For the 2026-27 school year, lawmakers required the state to provide about $250 million more for special education than schools would have received under the old funding system, according to the TEA.<\/a><\/p>\n That $250 million is a statewide increase, so it doesn\u2019t mean every school district will receive the same amount.<\/p>\n Since this is the first year of the change, Texas is temporarily calculating how much each school would receive under both the old and new systems.<\/p>\n The TEA says schools are guaranteed at least as much special education funding this year as they would have received under the old system.<\/p>\n That guarantee only applies to the 2026-27 school year. Starting in 2027-28, the old system will go away and funding will be based solely on the new model, meaning a school could receive more or less than it would have under the old system.<\/p>\n Schools won\u2019t know their final funding amounts for the 2026-27 school year until September 2027, after TEA has a full school year of student data.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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