NH school districts to split $1 million for special ed

Union Leader article
Staff Report

The state Department of Education will split a total of $1 million among every school district in the state to help with special education costs.

The money was left over from the 2018 fiscal year, part of a yearly grant the state gets to help pay for special education.

Manchester and Nashua, with more than 16,000 and 13,000 students respectively, will get the largest grants, $25,000 each.

Concord and Derry will receive $20,000 each; Bedford gets $15,000. The smallest school districts, such as Croydon with 32 students and Bath with 76, will get $3,000 each, according to the department.

School districts can use the money for computers, software or other technology, and for services to help children with special needs through remote learning.

Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said special education has been the "most difficult challenge" as the coronavirus crisis has closed schools.

"It is vital that we continue to meet these students’ needs,” Edelblut said in a statement.

“We had planned to use these funds for professional development this spring, but after speaking to districts across the state, we found that support for remote instruction was a far more pressing priority for special education,” Rebecca Fredette, state director of special education, said in a statement.