July 2022 Group Watch: AL Using $4.2M In Federal Funds on Special Ed Contract
The Alabama Department of Education received approval to award a $4.2 million contract for Boston-based Public Consulting Group to overhaul special education to improve services and outcomes. The contract will be paid for with federal funding. According to the state department of education, the plan is to build a framework for special education and accelerate academic improvement for students with disabilities. That includes providing training for teachers and school staff at the local and state level. Alabama received $200 million in regular federal K-12 special education funding for the current year. Through the American Rescue Plan’s COVID relief funding, the state received an additional $38 million to help educate students with disabilities. PCG has been working with the state department since 2019 to evaluate how the department operates, issuing a 168-page report in March 2020 that detailed challenges and made recommendations to improve the department’s effectiveness.
