THE ECONOMIST: America’s support system for disabled pupils is broken
The article highlights the severe financial strain facing the American special education system due to underfunded mandates imposed on states and local school districts. Using Minnesota as a prime example, lawmakers tasked the state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education with identifying $250 million in budget cuts to offset projected spending growth of nearly $1 billion between 2022 and 2027. However, after releasing provisional recommendations in August, the commission unanimously urged the legislature to reject its own proposed savings, warning that cutting funding would directly harm disabled students.
