KEY QUOTE: “The point of special education is to give that child the services and mental health service they might need in order to participate in a regular classroom. The burden that puts on a classroom teacher, the amount of education that takes away from the other kids in the classroom is not fair. The only way to deal with that is to fund [special education],” Gov. Kelly said.

Special ed funding affects hundreds in Harvey County 

• “There are two things I would like to see done. Here in Kansas I would like to see the special education proposal that I put in my budget this year passed,” Gov. Kelly told The Kansan. “It would basically start us on the path to fulfilling our commitment to special education that is in statute, that we are to fund 92 percent of special education.”
  
  
• “Obviously, if [the federal government] were providing their 40 percent, our 92 percent would be a lot less,” Gov. Kelly said. “I have brought this up on the federal level, at [a recent] governor’s association meeting and with the administration. We are heading down that path as we are heading down the path of fulfilling our own obligation.”
  
  
• Locally, the stakes are high. The Newton, Halstead and Hesston school districts in Harvey County have united in a cooperative effort to provide special services for children age birth to 21 years, an effort called the Harvey County Special Education Cooperative.