Marion Independent $359,124 in the Red for Special Education

The Marion Independent School District went $359,124 over their special education budget last year.

A recent story by the Gazette looked at several area schools that were seeing rising costs associated with providing special education.

Sarah Pinion, Marion's Superintendent, told the Gazette that the district is struggling to cover these costs. 

"When we build our budget, because we try to keep our levy rate close to what it has been in the past, unless it’s a special situation … if we are levying for the special education deficit, then that kind of limits how we might levy in other areas," Pinion said to the Gazette.

Schools are mandated to provide for students with special needs. While the national and state government help with funding, they do so by measuring requests made by the school in the past.

Since they don't provide money as the costs are accumulating and since many schools face an increase of special needs students, among other factors, costs are rising.

Stay tuned to Marion Patch for more on this story.