Dive Summary:
- Sequestration could cut more than $67 million from California's special education budget, potentially affecting as many as 36,000 disabled K-12 students.
- According to a National Education Association analysis, the $67 million cut in the state's special education budget could result in a loss of 671 jobs, and NEA government relations director Mary Kusler says that level of cuts can't happen without affecting children.
- Special ed programs are federally mandated, so the entire state public education system will likely feel the impact as districts figure out ways to cope with the cuts and make up the difference, such as dipping into their general funds.
From the article:
... The potential impact the sequester will have on the daily lives of the more than 36,000 K-12 students with disabilities in California show how the across-the-board budget cuts can have harrowing implications for millions in the U.S. It also reveals how government agencies, like individual school districts, increasingly face hard choices making the cuts with the least damage. ...
