Facts About Special Education
Meeting the Needs of Exceptional Students
What does fully funding special education mean?
Federal and state laws require school districts to provide special education services that support the achievement and success of students with exceptionalities. However, neither the federal nor the state government fully funds these services at the levels required by these current laws. As a result, school districts must use general fund dollars—which are intended to support the education of all children—to cover the shortfall in special education funding.
Below are facts, figures, and statistics about the funding and operation of the special education services here at Lawrence Public Schools.
Special Education CostsSpecial education expenditures in 2022-2023. According to KSDE's USD 497 Budget Profile 2024-2025. |
$25.6M |
$17.2M |
Special Education Revenues2022-2023 federal, state, and local special education funding. |
Special Education Transfer2022-2023 general/local option fund transfers, reimbursements, and interest used to cover costs of special education services. |
$10M |
19.67% |
Special Education ServicesPercent of students qualifying for special education services. |
Special Education CategoriesIDEA identifies 14 different disability categories. Kansas includes gifted education. Students may qualify for one or more categories of services. |
15 |
442 |
Special Education Staff222 certified educators and 220 classified paraeducators provide special education services throughout LPS. |
Specialized ProgramsAvailable based on the needs of students. 9 elementary programs and 2–3 programs per secondary school. |
21-27 |
