Maine: Task force asks why, when school enrollment declines, SPED costs stay up there

Dec 19, 2017, Maine PBS/NPR: Task Force Studying Rising Costs Of Special Education http://mainepublic.org/post/task-force-studying-rising-costs-special-education#stream/0 A Maine task force is studying ways to tackle the rising cost of special education. … School enrollment is declining in nearly all of Maine's school districts, and many communities are contending with costs such as sending special education students out-of-district. Previous meetings have looked at the use of MaineCare funds for school-based services and about the cost of educating students with and without disabilities in the same space. Supporters of so-called "inclusive education'' say that letting students with and without severe disabilities learn side-by-side helps to undo the stigma associated with special education.