HB 144 – Increasing Funding for Preschool Children with Disabilities

State Representative Kim Williams has introduced House Bill 144, which would increase funding for preschool children with disabilities who are not already in either Intensive or Complex special education units.

How it does this is a little confusing to me, but it seems to involve lowering the amount of students in a “unit” or class so as to, I assume, create more units or classes. For example, the bill revises the current ratio of 12.8 students per unit to 8.4 students per unit consistent with the ratio of students per unit in Basic Special Education for students enrolled in grades 4-12. The reduction of students per unit will be phased in over three years; in the first year, the number of students per unit will be 11.3, in the second year, the number of students per unit will be 9.8, and in the third year the number of students per unit will be 8.4.