Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision takes a significant step toward addressing California’s long-underfunded special education system. Building on his January proposal to equalize base funding rates between regions, Newsom added $1.8 billion to the $509 million he had already proposed, bringing the total proposed increase to $2.4 billion, 43% more than the prior year. $2.4billionthe largest special education funding in California’s history, proposed in the governor’s 2026-27 May revision, a 43% increase over prior funding. $341the extra amount that school districts will receive in per-student funding — for all students — because of the boost from the proposed special education base rate under the governor’s budget, raising the statewide per-student funding from $999 to $1,340. In the past decade, overall TK-12 enrollment in California has declined by 8%, while the number of students receiving special education services has grown nearly 20%. Educators and researchers point to several drivers for the increase of students who qualify for special education services: better identification of developmental delays and disabilities in early childhood, growing disability advocacy that has reduced stigma and pandemic disruptions that delayed early interventions. 15.4%the share of California students qualifying for special education in 2025–26. As California’s TK-12 enrollment has declined by 8% over the past decade, the number of special education students has grown by nearly 20%. Declining enrollment squeezes revenue for districts across all funding sources. At the same time, rising special education enrollment drives costs higher. Federal, state and local funding dedicated to special education together covered…
