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Effects of Revenue Caps
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Special Education vs. Regular Education
In each of the revenue caps studies many superintendents have written that increased spending for special education programs is causing (or will cause) districts to reduce spending for regular education. In the current study, superintendents were asked to indicate the extent to which the revenue caps are causing conflicts or disagreements between special education and regular education programs/teachers over the use of resources. Respondents were asked to circle the appropriate number along a continuum, with "Many Conflicts" and "No conflicts at all" at opposite ends of the scale. The middle choice, "3," represents an intermediate position.
Responses of superintendents, as shown in Table 3, are not unexpected. Thirty-four percent marked "1" or "2," indicating there were many conflicts within their district. These districts report approximately 15 cuts (median and mean).2 An equal percent said there were no (or few) conflicts. Superintendents in this category report between four and seven cuts (median and mean, respectively). Thirty-one percent chose the middle position; the number of cuts falls between 10 (median) and 12.8 (mean).
| Table
3
Relationship Between the Total Number of Cuts and Responses to the Question, "To what extent are the revenue caps causing 'conflicts' or 'disagreements" between special education and regular education programs/teachers over the use of resources?" |
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| Level of Conflict/Disagreement | No. of Districts | Mean | Median | Mode |
| Many Conflicts or Disagreements | 108 (34%) | 14.6 | 15 | 24 |
| Intermediate/Some | 97 (31%) | 12.8 | 10 | 24 |
| Few or No Conflicts or Disagreements | 109 (34%) | 7.1 | 4 | 0 |
The data in Table 3 tell us that in about two-thirds of districts (65%) the revenue caps have resulted in cuts in programs and services that are extensive enough to be causing conflicts or disagreements between regular and special education teachers over the use of resources. There were more than 100 written comments asking superintendents for examples of conflicts or disagreements. Many said that in order to comply with federal and state laws related to serving children with special needs, they have had to cut programs and services serving students as a whole.3 Many superintendents also criticized both the state and national governments for failing to adequately fund special needs programs. It is reasonable to assume that without changes in funding for special education or changes in the revenue caps themselves, the level of "conflict" (or tension) over resources is likely to increase in future years.4
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