Districts across Washington — including on Whidbey — have dealt with shortfalls in special education funding, a recent statewide audit found.
This has been especially true in Oak Harbor, which has a higher percentage of special education students than many other districts in the state.
Washington school districts spent at least 26% more for each student enrolled in special education than received from the state in funding during the 2022-23 school year, according to an audit released by the Office of the Washington State Auditor on Oct. 21.
Additionally, funding fell about 15% short of what districts actually spent on special education during the 2023-24 school year. State and federal funding totaled $2.6 billion for special education, but districts spent $3.1 billion. More than 140,000 students required special education services that year.
“State funding continues to fall short of meeting the increasing needs of students with disabilities,” Oak Harbor Public Schools Communications Officer Sarah Foy said in an email. “Like many districts across Washington, Oak Harbor Public Schools faces a significant shortfall in this area. For the 2024-25 school year, the district operated with an estimated $2 million gap between state funding and the actual costs required to support our students.”
Foy explained that military families with special needs children are intentionally assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, which has been deemed an Exceptional Family Member Base because of its proximity to Seattle Children’s Hospital and other services.
Currently, 20.16% of K-12 students in the Oak Harbor School District are enrolled in special education programs, while 100% of preschool students receive special education services. The only preschool in the district, the Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center, is a federally funded program for children needing special education services.
Funding shortfalls discussed in the audit occurred in spite of the fact that “typical numbers” of students enrolled in special education programs in Washington. Further, districts did not under identify students of a certain race or ethnicity as being eligible, nor did they under-serve a particular disability.
Legislation passed after the audit’s closure may help to ease these financial shortfalls in the future. Earlier this year, state lawmakers eliminated an enrollment cap limiting the funding districts received for special education services to 16% of its total students.
Foy confirmed Impact Aid can be used to supplement special education funding in the event of shortfalls, as well as capital facilities, maintenance, supplies and other operating costs. State funding, she added, is inadequate to cover rising costs in these areas.
Additionally, the audit mentioned rural and lower-income districts in Washington struggle with staffing issues in key positions which can limit effective special education identification.
Oak Harbor School District, like others, “faces challenges in recruiting for certain critical roles,” Foy said, highlighting school psychologists and specialists in particular.
“Recruiting special education teachers has been less of a challenge,” she added. “Based on our experience, these staffing gaps have not significantly limited the district’s ability to identify students in need of special education services.”
