Special Education Funding Committee

Studies

(1530 § 1) Consider studying special education teacher shortages, circumstances, and collective needs. The study must include a review of special education teacher workload, including significant and inequitable disparities in caseload numbers and complexities between educators; addition of students to a special education's workload throughout the year without consideration of impact on students' needs and teachers' workload; lack of a subjective formula for teaching, workload, and case management assignments; unsatisfactory policies and formulas adopted without special educator involvement, adequate training, or with general or vague language; and burdensome workloads threatening compliance with student individual education plans and state and federal law. The study must include special education student and staff safety, including the unmet need for accessible, understandable, and effective emergency and crisis plans, procedures, protocols, and trained personnel available to implement them; lack of training in de-escalation techniques and preventative strategies and necessary protective equipment; lack of training in the use of protective equipment and restrictive procedures; uncompensated time for planning and implementing behavior intervention plans separate from teacher preparation time; lack of adequate space to meet the needs of students demonstrating violent behavior; the unmet need for additional highly qualified paraprofessional support in situations involving students with violent behavior; and the inequitable treatment of injured staff who must use sick leave or unpaid leave due to injuries that occurred at work. The study must include a review of special education paraprofessional management duties, including an additional expectation that education, training, and professional development of paraprofessionals are an obligation of the special education teacher; an additional requirement that special education teachers schedule and annually evaluate paraprofessionals; the inadequate availability of highly qualified paraprofessionals; inadequate training in management of paraprofessionals; and failure to provide additional time and compensation for paraprofessional management duties. The study must include a review of special education paperwork requirements and supports, including the lack of compensation for extensive federal, state, and disability-related required paperwork; the lack of compensation to attend individual education plan evaluation meetings outside the teacher's workday or during teacher preparation time; and the lack of additional time, training, mentoring, administrative and professional support and assistance necessary to manage mandatory reporting, compliance, and due process issues and requirements. The study also must include additional or broader considerations, pertinent data review, and plans for remediation of inequities, including projected costs and implementation timetables.

(1547 § 1) The Legislative Management shall establish and provide staffing to a committee to study special education funding. The committee may include eight members of the Legislative Assembly, four members from the House of Representatives and four members from the Senate, appointed by the Legislative Management; two multiunit special education directors; one large school special education director; one special education coordinator; one superintendent of a large school; one superintendent of a small or midsize school; one business manager of a large school; and one multiunit special education business manager. The study must include a comprehensive review of special education funding models, including student contracts, high-cost students, residential placement, and reimbursement under the Medicaid program.

(4019) Consider studying reading and mathematics proficiency rates among students in the state with disabilities and the effectiveness of current educational policies, programs, and resource allocations in addressing any disparities. The study must include an examination of academic disparities, analyzing the latest student performance data on statewide reading and mathematics assessments to identify trends and disparities affecting students with disabilities and comparing the subgroup performance to overall state proficiency rates; an identification of contributing factors, evaluating systemic barriers contributing to low proficiency rates, including funding for special education services, limited access to trained teachers and support staff, geographic disparities between rural and urban areas, and accessibility of evidence-based curriculum and instructional strategies; an assessment of existing policies and programs, reviewing the implementation and impact of current state and federally funded programs and identifying gaps in policy, funding, and program effectiveness; the engagement of stakeholders, soliciting input from parents and families of students with disabilities to ensure parent involvement in decisionmaking, educators, school administrators, special education professionals, and advocacy groups focused on disability rights; research of best practices, examining successful models and initiatives in states that have effectively reduced proficiency disparities and exploring innovative approaches in early literacy, numeracy, and equitable education practices; and consideration of actionable policy and funding recommendations aimed at reducing proficiency disparities, expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based educational programs, enhancing transparency in costs and resource allocation, and improving accountability and data transparency.

Reports

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction within 3 years of approving the first public charter school, which summarize the strategic vision and progress of each public charter school; performance of each operating public charter school, according to the performance measures and expectations specified in the charter performance agreement; status of charter applications, including charter schools that were not approved, not renewed, and closed; oversight and services provided by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to public charter schools; and total amount of fees collected from each public charter school, how the funds were expended to support the public charter school, and the costs incurred by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to oversee each public charter school. (2025 Senate Bill No. 2241 § 1) (NDCC § 15.1-XX-XX)

Receive an annual report from the Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve Education Coordination Council on the activities of the council. (NDCC § 15.1-01-04(9))

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction on any updates to the strategic vision and the collaborative report of the strategic plans of each steering committee member entity receiving state education funds. (NDCC § 15.1-02-04)

Receive an annual report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction by the end of February on the financial condition of school districts. (NDCC § 15.1-02-09)

Receive from the Superintendent of Public Instruction the compilation of annual school district employee compensation reports. (NDCC § 15.1-02-13)

Before the Superintendent of Public Instruction may submit proposed changes to the state accountability plan, the superintendent must present changes to an interim committee designated by the Legislative Management. (NDCC § 15.1-02‑17)

Receive a biannual report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the implementation of intervention measures for chronically low-performing schools. (NDCC § 15.1-02-23)

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction of a request from a school or school district for a waiver of any rule governing the accreditation of schools. (NDCC § 15.1-06-08)

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding waivers applications under Section 15.1-06-08.1. (NDCC § 15.1-06-08.1)

Receive an annual report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the innovative education program, including the status of the implementation plan, a summary of any waived statutes or rules; and a review of evaluation date results. (NDCC § 15.1-06-08.2)

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction in even-numbered years regarding a comparison of academic performance of students participating in virtual instruction versus those not participating in virtual instruction and the use of the statewide prekindergarten through grade twelve strategic vision framework goals. (NDCC § 15.1-07-25.4)

Receive a biennial report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding proposals to allow students enrolled in grades six through twelve to earn course credit through educational opportunities with a sponsoring entity. (NDCC § 15.1-07-35)

Receive a report from the Superintendent of Public Instruction before December 1 of each year on the categories and amount spent by each school district on school safety and security measures during the previous school year. (NDCC § 15.1-07-36)

Receive a report from the Education Standards and Practices Board regarding electronic satisfaction survey results of all interactions with individuals seeking information or services from the board. (NDCC § 15.1-13-36)

Receive from the Superintendent of Public Instruction the compilation of test scores of a test aligned to the state content standards in reading, mathematics, and science, given annually to students statewide. (NDCC § 15.1-21-10)

Receive periodic reports from the Superintendent of Public Instruction on the implementation and effectiveness of reading curriculum and professional development training requirements in improving educational outcomes and reading competency of students. (NDCC § 15.1-21-12.1)

Receive periodic reports from the Superintendent of Public Instruction on the implementation and effectiveness of the new section to Chapter 15.1-21 created to improve educational outcomes and student competency in mathematics. (2025 Senate Bill No. 2213 § 5) (NDCC § 15.1-21-XX)