Pennsylvania Special Education and Mental Health Funding Guide

A new program, Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) through Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), will provide $11.5 million for afterschool learning opportunities for young people.

Pennsylvania received an extension to obligate and/or spend funds to four funding programs related to covid relief including the below.

• Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER)
• Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER)
• Education Stabilization Fund (ESF-SEA)
• Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS)

Early Intervention received a $9.1 million increase for EI part C, the infant and toddler program and a $33 million increase for EI Part B, ages three to five.

​​Pennsylvania's Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program provides state funding to Head Start programs for three- and four-year-olds from families at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. HSSAP received a $2.7 million increase. These programs are offered at no cost to eligible families and provide comprehensive services in education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement, in line with federal requirements.

IDEA Part B: Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – Grants to States Program (IDEA-B) provides funding to local education agencies (LEAs) to supplement and/or increase the level of special education and related services provided to eligible students with disabilities ages 3 through 21 who are enrolled in special education programs.

The Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Education provides grants to intermediate units to buy telepresence equipment and related services for students who need to learn from home for extended periods due to serious medical conditions. This equipment allows students to participate in daily classes and interact with classmates and teachers in real time from a remote location, using technology that includes audio and video capabilities.

Medicaid can cover the following programs in school-based settings:

• Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) ABA services covered includes Behavior Analytic Services, Behavior Consultation, Assistant Behavior Consultation, Behavioral Health Technician.
• Individual Services Services provided one-to-one to children, youth, and young adults (under age 21) with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs.
• Group services Intensive therapeutic interventions that are provided in a group format and can include group and family psychotherapy, design of psychoeducational group activities, clinical direction of group services, and more.

June 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Pennsylvania will receive a $2.5 million grant for the implementation, enhancement, and expansion of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) School-Based Services (SBS). Pennsylvania can use these funds to implement, support, or enhance their efforts to connect students to school-based health services, including mental health.

Overall, CHIP received a $4.1 million increase. Learn more.

The School-Based ACCESS Program allows Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to get reimbursed for providing health-related services to children under 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid, as long as these services are documented in the child’s IEP.

Some examples of eligible costs include:

• Salaries and benefits for a variety of roles including: Special education positions (teachers, therapists, etc.); Classroom instructional aides; Personal care aides; School Based Access Program coordinators; Nurses (for the percentage of time spent with special education students); Clerical support staff within program guidelines; Substitute teacher expenses for special education classes; special education teacher’s attendance at IEP meetings or professional development sessions.
• Access Program Costs such as computers, supplies, and equipment.
• Training such as conferences, workshops, parent training, or materials.
• Property including furniture, computers, hardware, software, therapy equipment, etc.
• Contracted services such as psychological testing, transportation, professional development, etc.
• Curriculum such as field trips, enrichment programs, books, resource materials, adaptive feeding equipment, IEP writing programs, manuals, etc.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provides high-quality pre-kindergarten services to at-risk three- and four-year olds at no cost to families. The program received an increase of $15 million. Children living in families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible to apply. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is offered in school districts, Keystone STARS 3 and 4 childcare programs, Head Start programs, and licensed nursery schools.

Career Technical Education (Perkins V) received a $30 million increase and includes several provisions related to supporting students with disabilities. Funds provided under the Perkins Act may be used to pay for the costs of CTE services required in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and services necessary to meet the requirements of a student’s 504. Additionally, some examples of allowable use of funds include:

• Professional development for teachers, faculty, specialized instructional support personnel, career guidance and academic counselors, and paraprofessionals in frameworks to effectively teach students, including a particular focus on students with disabilities. This may include PBIS, MTSS, and use of accommodations.
• Providing appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities to participate in CTE programs.
• Equipment including assistive technology

Ready to Learn Block Grants received a $526 million increase, and will be distributed using a base formula and an adequacy formula. Block Grants can be used for many programs and initiatives that support learning opportunities for students. Some examples include:

• Improving academic performance of subgroups (NCLB 2001 definition includes students with disabilities), curriculum, professional development, before and after school learning opportunities, expanding pre-k programs, and more.

These funds provide extra state funding to support the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students with significant disabilities. School districts or charter schools can apply for these funds to help cover the costs of specialized programs or services needed to provide an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment for a student with significant disabilities.

School-Safety and Mental Health Grants includes $100 million in mental health funding for K-12 schools, which builds upon one-time federal funds to ensure schools have the resources to provide mental health services to students and staff. The School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) under PCCD has approved $47 million in competitive grants aimed at enhancing safety, security, and mental health support within schools across Pennsylvania.

• Noncompetitive School Mental Health Grants, supporting mental and behavioral health services within school districts, charter schools, career and technical centers, and intermediate units. Funding can be used to support programs including risk assessments, counseling services, training staff to use PBIS and related techniques, trauma-informed care approaches, and more. Application Deadline: September 26, 2024. Learn more.
• Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools, aimed at supporting programs addressing school violence and enhancing safety and security in nonpublic schools. Funding can be used to support programs like PBIS, MTSS, trauma-informed care, and more. Application Deadline: September 26, 2024. Learn more.