By Ethan Handelman
Imagine your family is one of the many in New Jersey that are not able to send their children to schools in their hometowns because their accommodation neededs cannot be met.
This is a huge issue among families of children with disabilities, especially those whose accommodations would cost north of $100,000. There needs to be a way in which these families will not have to resort to paying out of pocket to get services their districts cannot afford to provide. It cannot be only the general education population that has all of its needs met. Every special education department, as well as the special education population, deserves an equitable share of funding.
This past June, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into a law a state budget that dramatically increases the money that goes into what is called “extraordinary aid for special education.” This aid goes into effect when a student’s needs exceed $40,000. It will increase the state’s share of such extraordinary costs from 55% to 90%.
In the Morristown Daily Record reporter Gary Myers writes that “The $46.4 billion state budget signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last month includes a 45% bump in funding for such programs, which serve more than 200,000 pupils across New Jersey.” (See: Myers, Gene. “NJ Pumps $125M into Special-ED Programs to Help Schools That ‘Do the Right Thing’.” Morristown Daily Record, July 17, 2021.)
Gov. Murphy is doing right with this spending bill. It is a way to tell the families struggling to find a school for their child that “we hear you and care about you.” Although this massive funding is getting pumped into the programs, this will still not fully assist every family. It may provide relief, but as Peg Kinsell, a policy director at Newark-based SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, told Myers, “Federal law guarantees all students a ‘free, appropriate public education.’ Even if the cost is expensive, it is not supposed to be the onus of the parents to figure out how they are going to pay for it.”
It is unfortunate how tremendous some costs can still be for families of those with a physical or intellectual disability, even after this funding plan goes into effect. There are some households whose required accommodations total more than $100,000; however, this shouldn’t cause them to worry about basic and essential needs such as where to send their children to school. As Peg Kinsell pointed out, every district should be adequately funded to allow families to send their child to school without paying out of pocket for the education.
Although the budget signed by the governor serves as a great statement regarding the importance of special education, the bill is not one size fits all. Districts that do not get sizable funding in comparison to others would undoubtedly still have trouble funding accommodations.
In Denville, Superintendent Steven Forte pointed out to Myers that “a really small town where your budget is like $8 million could be strapped if a family moved in with a few children that needed out-of-district placement.” These smaller school districts would not have appropriate funds to compensate for every student that requires an aide, specific equipment, etc.
It is unjust how these smaller school districts, despite Gov. Murphy increasing the funding, will still be unable to help their own town’s residents who require assistance. This in turn would make necessary accommodations out of reach for families who are not able to pay for them with their own money and an unfair burden for those who can. Another burden on families is the mounting pressure to find a school district that has the resources to provide for their child’s needs.
While the increase in extraordinary aid will improve the current situation, it will not take the stress away from families who live in a small district. Every special education program in New Jersey public schools deserves a fair and equitable share of not only the new state funding but school funding in general. Parents should not have to travel great distances from where they reside so their child can attend a suitable program. All students deserve an equitable education. It cannot just be the general education population who have easy access to nearby schools.
Ethan Handelman is a student at Rider University majoring in elementary education and psychology with a minor in special education. He is a member of NJEA Preservice.