A new survey finds that many Georgia school systems fear that the proposed Medicaid cuts in Congress would hurt their special education programs – and the children they serve.
Georgia Health News reports most school districts responding to the survey say they receive thousands of dollars in Medicaid funding to help offset the costs of their special education programs.
Schools say they depend on the funding to help pay for expensive services, such as physical therapy and speech therapy, to their special ed students, according to the survey by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
The Medicaid funds are not just for Georgia schools. It’s standard practice in most school districts nationally to rely on Medicaid funding to supplement other special education funding. State schools have more than 118,000 children with disabilities in special education programs, GBPI reports.