Maryland: Nearly $471M shortfall in IDEA funding; SPED numbers "continue to grow"
- Aug 19, 2025
- 2 min read
Aug 18, 2025, Baltimore Sun: Maryland faces a special education funding crisis | GUEST COMMENTARY
The state of Maryland is facing a crisis you don’t see splashed across the headlines — but if you talk to parents and step inside classrooms across the state, you’ll feel it immediately.
According to the National Education Association, Maryland has a nearly $471 million shortfall in funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This threatens the very services that ensure students with disabilities have a fair shot at reaching their full economic potential.
This isn’t just a math problem. It’s a civil rights travesty happening in every Maryland county. IDEA is a federal promise guaranteeing students with disabilities, like my daughter, a free and appropriate public education tailored to their needs.
It ensures that every child with a disability will receive the supports and services they need to learn — speech therapy, assitive technology, occupational therapy, specialized instruction and classroom aides, among other supports and services. But for over 50 years, Washington has broken this promise, with state and local districts left to pick up the slack. In Frederick County, the population of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) continues to grow, now comprising 13% of the student body and the federal funding gap has grown to nearly $20M. The situation continues to compound.
The consequences are real and immediate. Teachers are stretched thin, trying to meet complex needs without adequate support. Families see vital services reduced or delayed. Students who need specialized instruction to thrive are instead being left behind. This is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s about a generation of children whose futures and economic potential hang in the balance.
While Frederick County’s gap is stark, it’s not unique. Across Maryland, districts are quietly making impossible choices because IDEA funding has never met the federal dollars Congress promised. Under IDEA, the federal government is supposed to cover 40% of the average per-student cost of special education — but in practice, federal funding only covers less than 12% of that cost. For families and educators, this underfunding is not a surprise — it’s an ongoing crisis. But for the broader public, it’s a story that’s barely been told.
With the Maryland General Assembly set to convene in January, lawmakers will have an opportunity — and an obligation — to address special education funding and hold the federal government accountable. The choices they make will determine whether Maryland honors its commitment to our most vulnerable students or allow the gap to grow wider.
We cannot afford to let this crisis remain invisible. The students impacted by IDEA funding gaps are not statistics — they are children with dreams, talents and the right to an education that meets their needs. This is the moment for our leaders, our media and our communities to pay attention and act.
If we believe in equity, if we believe in education, then we must believe in funding the promise we’ve made to every child — fully and without compromise.
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