Most schools are not truly understaffed for special education. What’s happening far too often is thhat special education funded positions are being pulled to cover gaps elsewhere, general education shortages, vacancies, or budget mismanagement. That means services written into IEPs don’t disappear because students need less support. They disappear because districts chose to reassign the funding and the staff (particularly in inclusion). This isn’t just poor planning, it’s a compliance issue. Spe