2025–27 Special Education Legislative Budget Request: A Path to Full Funding and Equity in Washington
The 2025–27 Special Education Legislative Budget Request aims for transformative, long-lasting improvements to the state's special education system. The goal is to continue the Legislature’s progress toward fully funding special education as an essential component of basic education while strengthening state-level initiatives with a firm commitment to equity for all students.
One of the key proposals is to eliminate the cap on state special education funding, to ensure students with disabilities receive their legally mandated services. In place of the funding cap, OSPI will enhance accountability measures to track significant increases in special education enrollment and engage districts to analyze their data and leverage preventive measures through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework.
To address persistent funding gaps, OSPI advocates for phased increases in special education funding multipliers across preschool and K–12. Additionally, the plan includes a path to strengthen and stabilize state-level investments in special education—to support critical initiatives such as inclusionary practices, professional development, educator recruitment and retention, and mental health services for students with disabilities—through a 0.5% administrative set-aside of state special education funds, modeled after the federal IDEA. Finally, the request for funds will respond to legal mandates, including providing compensatory services to students who qualify to the age of 22.
Learn more about all of the 2025–27 OSPI Legislative Priorities and Budget Requests here.
|
Technical Assistance Paper (TAPs) Drafts on the upcoming shift in eligibility for Specific Learning Disability (SLD) are now available!
OSPI Special Education September 2024 Update Video - "Specific Learning Disability Changes - Bill Rasplica"
Six new Technical Assistance Papers (TAPs) on the upcoming shift in eligibility for Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs), set to take effect in 2028, are now available on OSPI’s Special Education website under the “What’s New” section. These papers provide crucial information on the changes to the SLD evaluation process, which will transition to a Response to Intervention (RTI) approach. These resources were developed in collaboration with the Washington Administrators Improving MTSS (AIMS project at University of Washington (UW) Bothell), the Goodlad Institute, and education partners across the state. Please visit the “What’s New” section on OSPI's website to explore the fact sheets released last month and to review these new TAPs. We will continue to provide updates to keep partners informed about the supports available to guide districts through this important transition. Also, included here is an interview with Bill Rasplica from UW Bothell, who offers insights on how districts can begin preparing now for changes in SLD eligibility.
Special Education Parent Survey – Pilot LEAs needed
This is an invitation to be a partner in the 2024–25 Special Education Parent Survey pilot!
The pilot centers around the implementation of a new survey to gather data related to State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicator B-8, which measures the degree to which parents report that schools partner with them to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. The new survey questions were developed by the Parent Engagement Focus Group as part of the work of the State Design Team, as well as the State’s Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC).
OSPI will be partnering with the Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE) center at Utah State University to develop an online portal to collect this information. All parents/guardians of students with IEPs in Washington will have the opportunity to participate in the parent survey once every two years beginning with the 2025–26 school year, and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will be assisting in disseminating survey notifications to families.
The Special Education Parent Survey pilot will take place in the late winter/early spring of 2025. Pilot LEAs and their families of students with IEPs will receive:
- Early access to the survey platform;
- Clear LEA instructions on how to disseminate the survey notifications to families;
- Technical assistance, guidance, and feedback to support and problem solve; and
- The opportunity to provide feedback on the new survey tool, platform, and process, which will be used by OSPI and TAESE to make improvements prior to launching the survey statewide.
If you are interested in participating in the pilot or have questions, please contact the WISM team using the title “Parent Survey Pilot” by December 2, 2024.
Operations Team Leadership: Cynthia Hargrave and Lynne Truitt Retirements
We would like to congratulate our Director of Operations, Cynthia Hargrave, and Program Fiscal Supervisor, Lynne Truitt, on their upcoming retirements.
Cynthia shares:
“I have worked in the education field for 30+ years. I have been lucky enough to have been part of teams that I have loved. I want to thank my teams from Head Start, Tumwater School District, Olympia School District, and OSPI for being a part of my work family. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. As I retire, I look forward to spending as much time as possible with my five grandkids. I am blessed to have my son and daughter live close by.”
Lynne shares:
“I started my career in special education in the state of Nebraska as a teacher in the rural setting of Rising City, but I have had the pleasure of teaching and supporting students with disabilities for over 40 years. My roles in Washington state have included teaching in Clover Park, being a Special Education Teacher on special assignment for Bethel, serving as the Special Education Liaison/Dean of Students at the Pierce County Skills Center, leading ReLife School as the Principal/Director, being the Special Education Director for Peninsula and completing my career here at OSPI supporting districts and ESDs across the state as the Program Fiscal Supervisor. My work at OSPI encompassed many areas of fiscal but a primary role became providing support and running the EGMS system for the special education team. I am looking forward to retiring, spending more time with my family, and traveling. I will continue to support students with disabilities through my many volunteer roles to include serving on the board of Council for Exceptional Children for the state of Washington.”
Cynthia and Lynne’s last day at OSPI will be September 30. All of us at OSPI will miss Cynthia and Lynne, and we are extremely grateful for their contributions to Special Education.
We are actively working on finalizing the selections for Cynthia and Lynne’s roles and will provide an update soon. Any questions can be directed to speced.fiscal@k12.wa.us.
Click here for this month’s Program Improvement updates on the following topics:
- Special Education Monitoring Update
- Disproportionality and Significant Disproportionality Notifications
- Identification and Correction of Non-Compliance for 2024–25
- OSPI Special Education Data, Fiscal, and Program Office Hours
Click here for this month’s Fiscal & Data updates on the following topics:
- OSPI Special Education Data, Fiscal, and Program Office Hours
- Secondary Transition IEP (Indicator B-13) Data Application (NEW REPORTING REQUIREMENT)
Click here for this month’s ECSE updates on the following topics:
- Important Message for OSPI’s Early Learning Division-2024 Transition to Kindergarten (TK) Rules and Guidance
- Pyramid Model Implementation Data System (PIDS) Update: New URL
- Ensuring Access and Positive Outcomes for All Young Children: Using Data to Understand and Eliminate the Use of Exclusionary Discipline Practices
- FYI-Joint Dear Colleague Letter on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) and Part C
- ECSE Office Hours
Click here for this month’s Dispute Resolution updates on:
- Complaint File: Special Education Discipline Procedures
Topic: LRE & the Continuum of Special Education Services
|
|
