During the Oct. 17 Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City board of trustees meeting, Chief Financial Officer Brian Moy gave an overview of special education funding and allotment.

The details

Moy explained that state funding for special education students is determined by:

• Basic allotment ($6,160)
• Weight applied per instructional arrangement
• Full-time equivalent student count
• Mainstream allotment ($7,084/Average daily attendance)

For the instructional arrangements, students are categorized based on their needs. Each of these arrangement categories have a different weight determining the additional funding districts will be provided for those students, Moy said.

As an example, a student who is homebound for medical reasons would be weighed at a 5.0, while a self-contained student who attends four special education classes and three general classes each day would be weighed at a 3.0.

The district serves around 3,000 students through special education programs, Moy said.

Put into perspective

For the fiscal year 2023-24, the district received $18.70 million in total special education allotment.

During FY 2022-23, the district received $16.77 million in allotment and spent $25.41 million.

Moy said the amount spent is around 150% higher than the amount received.

Why it matters

While the numbers for FY 2023-24 cannot be provided due to the audit not being completed, Moy said the district continues to have a gap in funding and spending.

“We are closing in on a $10 million gap on the state side every year,” Moy said.

Superintendent Paige Meloni said it is up to legislators to change the formula, which has been a challenge for years.

“[The formula] is archaic,” Meloni said. “It has been going for years, and they just move things around and are not really addressing the needs of the school district.”