Wisconsin's Special Ed System: High Stress, Sparse State Funding

credit: Brotherhood-Winery

This piece was produced for the NEW News Lab, a local news collaboration in Northeast Wisconsin. Microsoft is providing financial support to the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region to fund the initiative.

For parents and teachers, raising and educating a special-needs child can be all-consuming. Parents struggle to care and advocate for their children, who may have significant health, educational and behavior challenges. And teachers face tough working conditions that prompt many of them to switch districts or leave special education, creating a shortage of qualified educators.

Federal and state mandates require that public school districts in Wisconsin provide all of the special education services a student needs. Roughly 14% of students in Wisconsin are classified as having special needs, which include physical, intellectual, cognitive, emotional and learning disabilities.

But over the past five decades, state funding support for special education has declined precipitously. That forces districts — which must abide by revenue caps set by the state — to take money from the regular education budget to pay for services they are legally obligated to provide to special ed students.

Read the Entire Article

How's Your Community Doing?
Check Out it's
Community Vital Signs

Explore the
Social Progress Index
for the
Greater Green Bay Community Foundation

Safe Walking, Biking, and Scootering: Idaho Receives Youth Mobility Grant

"As students become more independent, being able to get where they are going safely is an essential life skill. Our goal is to educate these students so they can get where they are going, safely,...more

Detroit'S Downtown Boxing Gym Gets Professional Chef for Classes
Foundation: Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Detroit's Rose's Fine Food closed its doors last year, but that didn't stop former owner Molly Mitchell from pursuing a career in culinary education. Now she's at the helm of the city's Downtown...more

Esg Lays the Groundwork, Impact Investing Extends the Boundaries

When it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, many investors are looking to invest in companies that have a positive social or environmental impact. But when it comes to...more

Reynders, Mcveigh Capital Management Is the Latest Customer to Go Live on Ridgeline'S ...

"To differentiate and compete, you really have to pay attention to technology," says Chat Reynders, CEO of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management. "It was becoming clear to me that our tech wasn't...more

The Earth Is Falling to Pieces and It'S Connected to Climate Change

"Take a jigsaw puzzle of our planet, an amazing planet, and you'll have amazing pieces to fit there. Rivers, oceans, land, people, 8 million species, and they all exist in perfect harmony," says...more

Equities News Announces Second Athlete-Turned-Entrepreneur Partner, Craig J. Lewis ...

Craig Lewis used to be a pro basketball player. Now he's a tech entrepreneur. Lewis founded Gig Wage, a company that helps workers earn extra money by using facial recognition technology, and...more

Navigating the Evolution: Financing Trends in India'S C&Amp;I Rooftop Solar Market

There's a huge market for solar power in India, and it's thanks in large part to government incentives, reports the Wall Street Journal. In fact, the country had just one megawatt-hour of solar...more

The Verywell Mind 25

"It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and we're back for our second-annual 'Verywell Mind 25,' where we recognize the individuals who are using their platforms to help reduce stigma, serve their...more

Bryant University Partners with Social Enterprise Greenhouse to Offer Students Real-World ...

"We are so pleased to be able to offer the guidance and support necessary to prepare young innovators for what's next," says the CEO of Social Enterprise Greenhouse, a nonprofit that has teamed up...more

The Top Three Challenges Facing Leaders in Inclusive Finance

"If you don't have a problem today, it's easy to think you don't need protection for tomorrow. But if your business and your livelihood aren't protected, it's extremely risky," says Aria...more