Appleton is dealing with a big increase in special education students, and the spokesman for a state group says the situation is different in school districts around the state.
Dan Rossmiller is with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. He says they all have one thing in common, state aid for those students has been flat for almost 10 years. He says that means districts are forced to use more of their overall funding for special education.
The state reimburses districts for about 25 percent of their special education costs.
Rossmiller says some families might move to larger cities because of the services that are available.
The number of special education students in Appleton schools rose by 26 percent over the past eight years. That’s forced the district to increase staff.
