Overview

The Special Education Excess Cost Data Collection system is used to collect LEA Excess Cost and State Agency Placement Grant data from school districts. The data collected is used by the Bureau of Grants Management to calculate the school district’s LEA Excess Cost and/or State Agency Placement Grant, which provides state support for high cost special education placements and select regular education placements.

The initial threshold for which a student is eligible for the Excess Cost grant is referred to as the "Basic Contribution or per pupil expenditure". For LEA placements or students educated within the district the threshold is equal to the prior year’s Net Current Expenditures per Pupil (NCEP) x 4.5. For placements initiated by a state agency, e.g., the Department of Children and Families, the threshold is equal to the prior year's NCEP x 1.

Contract information is only required for students with costs over the district’s threshold but is recommended that students that are close to the threshold be submitted. See Appendix (Memo: LEA Excess Cost Grant and State Agency Placement Grant for Placements in Facilities Approved or Not Approved for Special Education) for guidance on LEA Excess Cost Grant and State Agency Placement Grant for Placements in Facilities Approved and Not Approved for Special Education.