By JENNIFER MANN
The Patriot Ledger

Senate President Therese Murray said the state needs to step up to the plate with more money for special education. Communities are struggling under rising costs, and stop-gap measures will not fix the problem, the Plymouth Democrat said.

“Given the number of children diagnosed with autism and other spectrum disorders, there is no question that we are going to have to come up with a long-term funding plan sooner rather than later,” she said.

Murray is not the only South Shore lawmaker calling for changes on the heels of a Patriot Ledger series detailing the rising costs of special education and the strain those costs are putting on local budgets.

In many cases, administrators are forced to choose between cutting general-education programs and providing mandated special-ed services for children with disabilities, the series revealed.

And because of the uneven distribution of special-ed populations across the state, it is hitting some communities harder than others - and sometimes unexpectedly.

“It probably has the most significant impact on school budgets,” said Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth. “It’s a problem.”

The $1.8 billion cost of special education in Massachusetts is largely paid by cities and towns, which are limited by state law in their ability to raise new taxes. The state kicks in about 35 percent - about the same it pays for regular education. The federal government contributes about $400 million in grants for special-ed students.

In 1975, Congress passed the Education of all Handicapped Children Act, which required the practice of mainstreaming or inclusion - keeping special-ed students in the regular classroom as much as possible.

Many schools are now spending a significant portion of their budget on a small percentage of students with more severe needs - sometimes paying up to $100,000 a year to send a student to a private residential or day program.

“I don’t think we should be passing any mandates on to communities that are unfunded. Period,” Hedlund said.

But Hedlund said he does not foresee any measures moving forward this year that would change the way aid is delivered to local schools - or to address the transportation issue, although he expects to see bills filed after the winter recess.

“I don’t see any major reforms on the horizon,” he said. “It doesn’t seem the leadership is interested in allowing any change (to the funding formula).”

But Murray, the Senate leader, said ensuring that all children have access to a good education “is something we in the Senate do not take lightly.

“It is a focus for us year after year when drafting the state’s budget,” she said. “Communities are struggling. We recognize that.”

She said lawmakers have begun to reform the way education funding is distributed, and have included more money for special ed - with a 6 percent increase in fiscal 2008.

Sen. Brian Joyce, D-Milton, a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, was a co-sponsor of a series of bills that would ease the financial burden on the local level, including a measure addressing transportation costs and one that would deliver grants to special-ed parent advisory groups.

Jennifer Mann may be reached at jmann@ledger.com.