Legislation to overhaul the way Oregon funds early childhood special education has advanced through the state House with near unanimous support, moving to the Senate Education Committee.
House Bill 2682 would create an advisory committee to recommend service updates, incorporating the latest research and family experiences.
Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, is sponsoring the bill. She said the current funding model no longer reflects the reality of what it takes to support young children with disabilities and the bill would set the state up for success.
“This prepares us to know exactly what needs to change in our early intervention, early childhood special education to make sure that we are taking appropriate legislative next steps,” Neron explained.
Neron highlighted the need to update the timing of special education funding, which is currently allocated in the spring. She noted programs often grow by 40% during the school year, leaving staff overwhelmed with caseloads in the second half.
Stacy Rager, executive director of early learning for the Northwest Regional Education Service District, said Oregon needs a new funding model to ensure children receive more instructional time, closer to the 30 hours of preschool per week offered by other states. She noted students in Oregon sometimes get as few as 4 hours of special education services per week.
“I have had many tearful conversations with families where they move in from a different part of the country,” Rager recounted. “I have to deliver the sad news that we just are not funded at that level.”
Rager hopes to stabilize special education funding, which has been experiencing large swings over the years, to prevent staff cuts directly affecting families. Her team includes special education teachers, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists.
“Finding people that want to do this work that have a heart for this work, and then to have to hire and lay off hire and lay off,” Rager observed. “It’s just so hard on the staff and on the families.”
She added with adequate funding, her program can extend its services inside preschools, offering additional adult support and training for preschool staff.
Isobel Charle, Oregon Newsservice
