Task Force Studying Rising Costs Of Special Education

AUGUSTA, Maine - A Maine task force is studying ways to tackle the rising cost of special education.
 
The task force is set to meet Tuesday in Augusta to work on its report. Its members include lawmakers, advocates, school principals, administrators, a parent and a teacher.
 
School enrollment is declining in nearly all of Maine's school districts, and many communities are contending with costs such as sending special education students out-of-district.
 
Previous meetings have looked at the use of MaineCare funds for school-based services and about the cost of educating students with and without disabilities in the same space.
 
Supporters of so-called "inclusive education'' say that letting students with and without severe disabilities learn side-by-side helps to undo the stigma associated with special education.