A new report reveals significant disparities between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers in Michigan, with advocates pointing to chronic underfunding as the primary cause.
- Achievement gaps widening: New report shows Michigan students with disabilities have declining graduation rates, higher dropout rates, and lower test scores compared to non-disabled peers.
- Funding shortfall blamed: Advocates say chronic underfunding of special education is the root cause, despite a $202 million budget increase this year.
- Parent advocacy essential: Mothers like Brianna Luginbill must fight for services like IEPs and choose schools carefully to ensure their children with autism receive proper support.
The findings show declining graduation rates, increasing dropout rates, and lower testing scores among students with disabilities across the state, according to Heather Eckner with the Autism Alliance of Michigan.
"There are pretty wide disparities gaps between students with disabilities and non-disabled peers," Eckner said.
The root of the problem, advocates argue, lies in inadequate state funding for special education services.
"Michigan has been underfunding special education for what it should cost to educate students with disabilities," Eckner said.
While the state increased funding for special education services by more than $202 million in this year's budget, advocates say the investment falls short of what's needed.
"Fixing our special education finance is a huge piece of that puzzle," Eckner said.
For parents like Brianna Luginbill, whose son has autism and is nonspeaking, the challenges are deeply personal. She has advocated for her child from an early age, securing an Individualized Education Plan to ensure he receives proper support.
"My son is nonspeaking," Luginbill said. "We took him out of daycare because he would just go to a corner and just be overwhelmed."
The IEP proved crucial for her son's education.
"We got one so he could get extra support. Say my son didn't have an IEP then he wouldn't get that one on one instruction in his ASD classroom," Luginbill said.
School choice became essential for finding the right fit. Luginbill selected Diamondale specifically for its programming at Holt.
"They got a lot of great programming at Holt so we chose Diamondale specifically because of that too," Luginbill said.
The report comes as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal legislation that guarantees students with disabilities access to appropriate education. Despite the legal framework, Luginbill emphasizes that dedicated staff make the difference.
"Shoutout to the staff out there. We appreciate you, we care about you, we know how much you have on your plate and that you are really advocating for our kids," Luginbill said.
The Michigan Department of Education was unable to provide a statement at this time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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