Parents, advocates press commissioners for more special-education funding

Dozens of public commenters at the July 28 meeting urged the Gaston County Board of Commissioners to provide more funding and accountability for exceptional-children services in Gaston County Schools.

Kimberly Falls described her 11-year-old son Beckett’s developmental disabilities and called IDEA protections ‘‘civil rights,’’ insisting the county’s budget choices should reflect those legal obligations: "Beckett is not a faceless number on a budget report," she said. Other speakers, including Doug Morgan and Stephanie Hartman, urged the board to ensure local dollars reach classroom supports, citing large class sizes and the county’s recent $5,000,000 contribution to the school-requested $11,300,000 for exceptional-children services. Hartman said the board’s approval of $5,000,000 left a $6,300,000 gap that local schools must manage and warned that some schools may open this fall understaffed.

Speakers called for the board to reallocate existing budget priorities rather than raise taxes, and asked commissioners to make funding decisions that reflect accountability to students with disabilities. Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and discussed options for future budget priorities but gave no immediate commitment to restore the full amount requested by the school board during the meeting.

The comments underscored a broader local debate about how county funding decisions intersect with state caps on exceptional-children funding and the obligations imposed by federal law.