From the New Jersey Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform
New Jersey’s non-partisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has issued a report calling for changes in New Jersey’s special education funding system.
When the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) was enacted, it changed the way New Jersey special education aid is distributed to districts. The old formula provided aid based on the number of children identified, and the intensity of the services needed by each child. The new formula provides state aid based on a statewide average rate of classification, and a statewide average excess cost.
OLS is recommending that the actual classification rate in a local district, not the statewide census average, be used for state aid purposes.
