More information on the MFP.
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The MFP (Education Funding) Formula: Issues and Recommendations
The current education funding formula recognizes that students with disabilities tend to cost more to educate than students without disabilities by counting students with disabilities as 2.5 students for funding purposes. At least that is how funding is decided for traditional public schools. In contrast, school choice programs, such as Type 2 and 5 charter schools, receive the same amount of funding regardless of whether a student has a disability or not. This difference in how funding is distributed causes a system for some schools to have a financial motive to not serve students who cost the most. That is why the DD Council and LaTEACH recommend that the starting place for any changes should use the same formula for all schools.
In order to ensure adequate resources truly follow the student it seems the funding formula should be reviewed, and possibly changed, so that funding levels are based on individual student needs. Needs of students with disabilities often time do not connect directly to academic performance. Funding for individual needs should take into account much more than how students perform on a standardized assessment and consider the costs of various types and levels of services.
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