In the wake of a study saying most school districts don't spend enough money on special education, state representatives have proposed a bill that would change the state formula for allotting special education money to try to make it fairer.

State Reps. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster; Barb McIlvaine Smith, D-Chester; and James Roebuck, D-Philadelphia, yesterday released a measure that would base special education funding on the number of students served. The bill has 54 co-sponsors.

"Our proposal includes a funding formula with built-in accountability based on actual numbers of students in special education, rather than the current arbitrary number," said Ms. McIlvaine Smith.

For years, the state has allotted each school district money based on the assumption that 16 percent of its average daily enrollment receives special education services. Officials of school districts with higher percentages have argued that they are shortchanged.

Last year, the legislature changed the formula for the basic education subsidy after a costing-out study said the old formula did not provide equity or adequacy for most districts. That study also recommended changes in special education funding, but that was put on the back burner.

In February, another study -- commissioned by the Education Law Center, Disability Rights Network and the Arc of Pennsylvania -- found that 391 of the state's 501 school districts are spending less than a basic adequacy level on special education. It estimated that combined shortfall at $380 million annually or $1,947 per special education student.

The proposal keeps a contingency fund which would be prioritized for low-wealth districts and used for unanticipated extraordinary expenses. The bill also has accountability provisions aimed at ensuring that students are not over-identified for special education.

The proposed formula calls for state money to be allocated based on a five-year average of actual student enrollment in special education and include an amount above the base cost per student for education, an amount to increase the rate and quality of placement of special education students in regular classrooms; and annual adjustments for inflation, local wealth, tax effort and local cost factors.

The measure is backed by 35 organizations, including the three that commissioned the study released in February. The list is made up largely of parent and community advocacy organizations.