Leaders of both the Texas Education Agency and the Federal Government are preparing for a hearing on Wednesday that could cost the state of Texas millions of dollars in public education funding in a battle that has been brewing for months.
This summer, Texas was ordered to pay back $33 million in federal funds for violating federal law when the state capped the number of students eligible for special education. The state appealed the ruling. The TEA will refute those claims Wednesday morning in a final attempt to retain millions in federal funds.
The decision will impact campuses and programs around North Texas. According to public school districts in Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth, student special education population has increased.
"While it is hard to predict the impact that the hearing will have on education in our district, it is safe to say that appropriate and equitable funding for education is a concern expressed by many educators and a topic that needs legislative attention,” said Fort Worth ISD spokesman Clint Bond.
Educators throughout districts in North Texas will be watching the outcome closely.
“Aside from the merits of the issues involved in the federal court case, now would be a particularly unfortunate time for Texas to lose needed federal special education funding,” said Holly Eaton with Texas Classrooms Teachers Association. “Texas will likely need an estimated $3 billion in additional funds to remedy the situation in which students were potentially deprived of special education services due to past state policies and practices for which Texas recently came under fire by the U.S. Department of Education.”
