Nick Gosnell
hatch post

HUTCHINSON, Kansas — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wants to bring everyone together on special education funding during the next legislative session if he is elected governor in November.

“I think the next area is special education funding,” Schmidt said. “We have to get policy makers, educators, families together and say what we are going to do. We hope to do that through Congressional leadership, and we’re going to have to file lawsuits and ultimately have to deal with it in court.I think it’s important to step up.”

Schmidt acknowledges that it’s not just the state level that has stopped funding special education.

“Congress has never met its federal funding obligations,” Schmidt said. “The federal promise was to fund special education at 40 percent. I don’t think they’ve ever been anywhere beyond that range, about 15 or probably in their late teens.Of course, that’s the elephant in the room.If Congress only does half of what it promises, then this The problem would be largely eliminated in states like Kansas, but it’s not, and as a result, states are stepping in and really struggling to fill the gap.

Because of the lack of federally mandated funding for special education, every dollar of underfunding is being deducted from the General Fund for All and transferred to special education, so at least in theory. They can intervene if the Kansas Supreme Court wants to. Since they retain jurisdiction, they will settle the matter by telling Congress that they are not really meeting Ganon until this dollar shift stops happening.