November brought the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or "IDEA." It's the program that guarantees access to public education for these students – and advocates in Michigan say the fight for full funding isn’t over.
Parents and educators want the next state budget aligned with Michigan’s Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint – a new plan they say is designed to better match funding to what services actually cost. Supporters point out the federal government promised to cover 40% of special-education costs, but contributes less than 12%.
Michigan teacher and parent Elizabeth Wilson Fisher said the school system failed her 10-year-old autistic son by not providing the accommodations she said he was legally entitled to in school.
"He was having problems at school. He was having struggles with friendships," she said. "That really is just like, 'This kid can have a wiggle stool, or he can have gum in the classroom, or he needs to sit up front' – just anything legally binding, they wouldn't do."
School districts now are trying to cover a shortfall of more than $1 billion. Still, some lawmakers say while they support strengthening services, Michigan must balance special-education needs with other budget pressures and review the long-term cost of the proposed funding blueprint.
Detroit parent Essie McCoy-Brown, whose children live with disabilities that include schizophrenia, said the challenges are even harder for families in under-resourced communities, who often have to fight for support, starting with getting schools to even recognize their kids need help.
"People thought I was crazy because I'm like, 'There's something going on with my kid.' And they're like, 'Oh, they're straight A-B students. They're just acting bad.' No," she said, "and it took me 17 years to get my son diagnosed."
School administrators say they also support more funding, but warn that districts already face staffing shortages, and will need support to implement any new mandates.
