CT SB01561

Establishes a new special education offset grant for school districts starting FY 2026, calculated using base aid ratio, foundation amount, and 50% of special education student count, with funds restricted to direct special education services and prohibiting supplanting

Creates a $50 million annual special education transportation grant program administered by the Office of Policy and Management, requiring the Department of Transportation to develop coordinated bus routes for students traveling to special education outplacements

Requires the Office of Policy and Management to establish a rate schedule for direct IEP services (speech, behavioral, occupational therapies) charged by private providers, with providers exceeding rates prohibited from accepting new students and ineligible for state reimbursement

Reduces the local board of education financial responsibility threshold from 4.5 times to 3 times net current expenditures per pupil for two fiscal years when a previously outplaced student returns to receive direct in-district special education services

Extends developmental delay eligibility for special education from age five to age eight, establishes an Office of the Educational Ombudsperson, and requires schools to hire instructional support teachers for students with disabilities by the 2026-27 school year