Assigned to ED & APPROP FOR
COMMITTEE
Assigned to ED & APPROP FOR
COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Third Legislature, Second Regular Session
Purpose
Appropriates $150,000 from the state General Fund for three years to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to conduct a special audit and cost study of school district special education programs.
Background
A child with a disability means a child who is at least 3 years but less than 22 years of age, who has been evaluated and found to have at least one of the following disabilities and, because of the disability, needs special education or related services: 1) autism; 2) developmental delay; 3) emotional disability; 4) hearing impairment; 5) other health impairments; 6) specific learning disability; 7) mild, moderate or severe intellectual disability; 8) multiple disabilities; 9) multiple disabilities with severe sensory impairment; 10) orthopedic impairment; 11) preschool severe delay; 12) speech or language impairment; 13) traumatic brain injury; and 14) visual impairment. Eligibility for special education means the pupil must have one of the disabilities listed above and must also require special education services in order to benefit from an educational program (A.R.S. § 15-761).
The Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that public schools create an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for every child receiving special education services. The IEP is meant to address each child's unique learning issues and designates the types of services needed. For funding purposes, disability categories are separated into several groups that include: 1) group A comprised of students with milder disabilities; 2) group B includes students with more severe disabilities; 3) preschool students with disabilities; 4) students attending Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind; and 4) students in Residential Treatment Centers.
Statute provides different funding formulas for group A, group B and preschool students based on the severity of the disability (A.R.S. §§ 15-769 and 15-771).
S.B 1254 appropriates $150,000 from the state General Fund to the OAG for three years, beginning in FY 2019.
Provisions
1. Requires the OAG to conduct and complete a special audit and cost study of school district special education programs in Arizona that includes:
a) the cost of providing special education programs to students, including costs supported by the federal government;
b) the amount of money that follows the student to their school of attendance;
c) areas where administrative and reporting requirements can be reduced or eliminated;
d) the use of and cost trends for independent evaluation teams; and
e) any other areas deemed necessary by the OAG.
2. Appropriates $150,000 from the state General Fund for FYs 2019 through 2021 to the OAG to fund the special audit and cost study.
3. Requires the Arizona Department of Education to cooperate with and provide necessary information to the OAG.
4. Requires the school district governing board or the county school superintendent to prepare a report of special education program expenditures for each disability classification.
5. Repeals this section on January 1, 2022.
6. Makes technical changes.
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 6, 2018
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