Bill > A809

Introduced Session

This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a program to provide grants to school districts to develop in-district special education programs and services. The purpose of the program would be to provide start-up funds to school districts to develop high quality in-district special education programs and services to reduce the need to place classified students out-of-district and consequently reduce the costs to districts associated with those placements. The in-district special education programs and services may be developed by an individual school district or on a collaborative basis by two or more districts. Under the bill, the commissioner would forward to school districts a request for proposals for the establishment of in-district special education programs. A school district which applies to participate in the grant program must submit a proposal to the commissioner that includes: a general description of the program; the types of student educational disabilities that the program is designed to address; the number of potential participants; the program's potential impact on reducing the number of out-of-district placements for classified students and the special education costs incurred by the district; plans to continue the in-district special education program upon the elimination of grant funding; program resources to assist parents and teachers in appropriately addressing student educational disabilities within the district; and any other information that may be required by the commissioner. The bill directs the commissioner to select grant recipients based upon the quality of the proposed program and its potential to reduce the district's out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The commissioner is to select grant recipients in the northern, central and southern regions of the State and would allocate to each selected school district a grant in such amount as he deems necessary. The bill also directs the commissioner to implement a plan to collect from each participating school district data on the effectiveness of the grant program in reducing the need to place classified students in out-of-district placements. Three years after the bill's effective date, the commissioner is also required to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the grant program in providing high quality programs and services to classified students while reducing the need for out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The report is to include a recommendation on the advisability of the grant program's continuation and extension to additional school districts.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Gerry Scharfenberger (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document