Guilford County Schools explains funding challenge to serve exceptional children
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Guilford County Schools is grappling with an issue facing school districts nationwide.
Educators want to know how they can best educate students with disabilities or learning challenges, who are also known as exceptional children.
The number of students with disabilities or learning challenges has gone up in recent years, and the funding from the federal and state levels to provide legally mandated services has not.
GCS is stretching itself thin to meet the needs of thousands of exceptional children.
Exceptional children are those who have different educational needs than other students, whether it be in the form of a physical disability or one that isn't as apparent.
Lindy Teachy works as an EC support lead for seven elementary schools with GCS.
'We definitely see a rise in our students who have mental health, social, emotional needs, behavioral needs. There's definitely been an increase in recent years in students who are presenting with those needs,' Teachy said.
Exceptional children are given individual educational programs, or IEPs, which are legally binding documents with a plan for the student to achieve their educational goals with the support structure they need.
A student granted an IEP must fall into one of 14 categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including autism, ADHD and more. To give students the best tools to be able to learn and focus, teachers often get creative on their own.
At Bessemer Elementary School, Mrs. Morehead's classroom contains a balancing desk, a rocking chair and other options to help students. She also provides tea and snacks out of her own pocket, and she brought the rocking chair from home.
Making sure all students have an accessible education is no small feat.
In addition to a monetary cost, it comes at an emotional cost as well.
'They are doing the work, meeting the needs. They are very tired,' Teachy said.
The state provides funding for EC students that is capped at 13 percent of the student body and at about $5,300 per student. GCS has about 10,000 EC students, which is closer to 15 percent, according to district officials.
'Our state-level funding has pretty much remained the same,' said Kimberly Steinke, the chief exceptional children and student services officer at GCS.
While most of the EC students have milder challenges, some have far greater needs that exceed $5,300 a year.
One example is a child requiring a nurse.
'On average, the cost of a nurse per year per student is about $65,000,' Steinke said.
They also need more teachers and volunteers.
'All of the resources and all of the technology and all of the curriculum in the world cannot replace a good teacher,' Teachy said.
If you are interested in volunteering, visit the school district website to learn more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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