Act 16

ACT 16 OF 2000

  • Act 16 of 2000 (Act 16), in part, amended section 1372 of the Publc School Code of 1949 and requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to annually compile information listing the number of students with disabilities for which expenditures were between $1 and $26,717.95 (Category 1), $26,717.96 and $53,435.91 (Category 2), between $53,435.92 and $80,153.88 (Category 3A), and $80,153.89 and over (Category 3B) for the prior school year, 2020-2021. 

    The data reported by the school districts and charter schools are each entiity's assessment of the individual cost of the delivery of special education services to each child in each category.

    All 500 school districts and 177 charter schools submitted expenditure data for fiscal year 2020-2021.

    In fiscal year 2020-2021, a total of 307,594 students received special education. The table below includes comparsion FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021 data for students with disabilities for which expenditures exceeded $26,717.95 per student.

    Category

    Cost Range

    FY 2019-20

    # of Eligible

    Children

    FY 2020-21

    # of Eligible 

    Children

    Change

    2

    $26,717.95-$53,435.91

    23,880

    23,207

    -673

    3A

    $53,435.92-$80,153.88

    6,703

    6,673

    -30

    3B

    Over $80,153.88

    3,094

    2776

    -318

     100% of charter schools reported in 2020-2021.

    The table below shows the total number of charter school students in each expenditure category. The School District of Pittsburgh pays charter schools $42,569.95 for each special education student. This table exemplifies the vast disparity between the monies charter schools receive to educate these students and the amount charter schools actually spend educating these students. 

     

    Charter School

    Total

    #Special Education

    Students

    $26,717.95 - $53,435.91

    $53,435.92 - $80,153.88

    OVER $80,153.88

    Catalyst Academy

    *

    *

    *

    *

    City Charter

    115

    *

    *

    *

    Environmental

    134

    14

    *

    *

    Manchester Academic

    54

    *

    *

    *

    Passport Academy

    34

    *

    *

    *

    Propel – Hazelwood

    53

    18

    *

    *

    Propel – Northside

    77

    13

    *

    *

    Provident

    168

    189

    *

    *

    The New Academy

    57

    *

    *

    *

    Urban Academy

    42

    *

    *

    *

    Urban Pathways 6-12

    77

    *

    *

    *

    Urban Pathways K-5

    79

    *

    *

    *

    * - 10 or Less Students Reports