BOSTON -- Throughout Massachusetts public schools are cutting classes and staff, and raising athletic and transportation fees. Team Five Investigates' Rhondella Richardson reported Thursday that some school officials believe cuts will keep coming because of the skyrocketing cost of special education.

Ellie, 4, attends The Perkins School for the Blind. She has cerebral palsy and impaired hearing and vision. The school district she resides in, but doesn't attend, pays most of the bill.

"They have to send the kids to a place where they can be educated," said Ellie's mother. "That's what they did at the end of the day."

Lexington Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash is an advocate of special education. But he believes the high cost is impacting the quality of regular education.

"They're getting devastated," said Dr. Paul Ash. "Schools across Massachusetts are being slowly dismantled. It's a very sad state of affairs."

Special education funds, by law, can't be touched. Congress promised to fund the program by 40 percent. But in Massachusetts, federal funding levels barely reach 15 percent.

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents said budget cuts are a direct result of the high cost of special education. Last year in Lexington, 32 staff positions were cut, along with Spanish and science programs. Bus fees increased to $600.

"Public schools will educate the students with special needs and then we will educate all the other students," said Dr. Ash. "These are typical students, students who are struggling, students who are brilliant. We have by statute, two classes."

The federal statute, made into law more than 30 years ago, mandates a free and appropriate education for special need students in the least restrictive environment. The latest statistics in Massachusetts showed per pupil spending for regular education increased by 88 percent. Special education increased more than 156 percent.

Some special education students are placed in private schools, where tuition ranges from $50,000 to $240,000. The state funds some of the tuition, but most of the bill is paid for by the school districts.

Steve Rothstein, president of Perkins School for the Blind, said cost is not the issue.

"As a society, either we're going to see our kids to the fullest, or we decide to ignore certain kids. I'm not ready to ignore them. I'm not sure any other superintendent are, " he said.

But the debate among educators is not whether special needs students deserve a good education. It is about who should bear the burden of the cost.

"Communities have been left with two choices," said Dr. Ash. "Cut back service to regular education students or raise additional revenue through a proposition two and a half override."

But in more and more communities, overrides are voted down. Residents are frustrated with having to pay more. The consequences are cutbacks.

"We used to have a program for the gifted and talented, said Tewksbury Superintendent of Schools Chris McGrath. "We reduced reading specialists and we increased class size."

Educators said the problem will only grow. Today pre-schoolers as young as 3 and 4 are diagnosed with autism. That means more staffing and spending.

"We simply can't keep up with the demand," McGrath said.

Transportation is the biggest cost. Sometimes it costs more to transport a special education student than it does to educate them. It's not unusual to see a single student on a bus. It all adds up to $190 million a year. Some fear it's undermining the mission of public schools.

"We need to talk openly about the special education programs. They were created for a good reason," said Dr. Ash. "But we've not sat back and said okay, what does high quality education actually cost for all kids? And how are we going to fund it?"

Resources

Article: Debbie Rucker's Journal

Discuss: Special Ed Costs

Read Special Education Finance Policy Report: Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents

Report by SpedWatch, a non profit advocacy group for Special Needs students, details claims of noncompliance with special education laws by local school districts: SpedWatch Report

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act