New York: "Needs of students have never been greater"; "rising needs come with growing price tag"
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New York school budgets are the highest they've ever been and the needs of students have never been greater, according to the New York Council of School Superintendents.
In Syracuse, the school district says it has 8% more special education students than it did 10 years ago. It’s a specialty that requires the right knowledge and the right people for those jobs.
Schools continue to crunch the numbers ahead of budget time for high-need students.
Greg Berck, assistant counsel and assistant director for governmental relations with the Council of School Superintendents, says special education needs have grown over the last decade, but the rising needs come with a growing price tag.
“Special education costs are a significant cost driver for school districts," Berck said. "They eat up a lot of the budget for students who need help, but there’s also not enough state support to cover those services.”
Syracuse City School District Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Irasteina Read says their own numbers show that increase clearly.
“We’re anticipating an increase of 57 positions for special education," said Read. "Forty of them being teaching assistants.”
The district said the number of students with disabilities has steadily risen over the past decade. Read said it was just short of 4,000 students 10 years ago, but is now at 4,319.
Adding this significant amount of staff comes as the district works through the financial realities of the upcoming school year budget period, according to district CFO Michael Puntschenko.
“The proposed budget at this point in time is $639.5 million," Puntschenko said. “Right now, our overall budget has a $30 million gap.”
District leaders say the proposed positions are tied directly to student needs outlined in individualized education plans, while statewide education groups say addressing the growing demand is a strategic approach.
“Districts want to partner with institutions of higher learning," says Berck, "to increase the pool of educators interested in special education certification serving this population.”
New York school budget votes will be held Tuesday, May 19 across the state.
