Change Indicator

Special education funding in Illinois

Special education funding

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Why This Indicator Matters

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Definition and Source

PROVIDER

Definition

State funding for Special Education for State-Mandated Categorical Grant Programs by State Fiscal Year. Special Education Services are for students ages 3 to 21 covered by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Disability categories include: Autism, Deaf-Blind, Deafness, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disability, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Other Health Impairment, Orthopedic Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech/Language, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment.

Data Source

Illinois State Board of Education, Annual Report available here, search "State-Mandated Categorical Grant Programs" and see the following funding categories: Sp Ed Personnel, Sp Ed Funding for Children, Sp Ed Private Tuition, Sp Ed Summer School, Sp Ed Transportation, Sp Ed Orphanage.

Notes

Dollar amounts in thousands.

It should be noted that Illinois enacted the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula in 2017, which changes how schools are funded in the state. Starting in FY2018, three categories of state funding for special education were subsumed under the EBF formula: children requiring special education services, personnel reimbursement, and summer school. As a result, the total amount of funding for special education services starting in FY2018 appears to be significantly less than previous years.  However, this decrease is not an actual decrease in funding. Rather, it is due to the aforementioned special education categories being absorbed into the EBF.

For more information on the EBF is here

Last Updated

December 2023