We have serious questions for Leon County School District (LCS), but they continue to deflect, ignore, or simply provide answers that land like a bad joke. Conversations about IDEA funding continue to circulate as many of our parents feel their students’ IEPs are not being followed and are being told noncompliance is due to resources. However, IDEA funding is funded through the federal government for students who are diagnosed with qualifying disabilities under ADA/IDEA. Accommodations and behavioral support is the intended purpose of this funding.
Our Request For IDEA Funding
We placed a request for IDEA funding on July 20, 2025, and specified the time period for this request as between school year 2017/2018 through 2024/2025.
We specifically want to know:
- The beginning fund balances provided by the federal government
- The expenditures and ending balance each year
- If funds were used, the breakdown of the amounts allocated to schools collectively each year in the staffing plan for personnel
- If IDEA funding was used to cover district salaries, what roles do those staff members play in supporting ESE implementation on the ground?
- How much was not spent each year
$333 For Public Records and Two Missing Documents Later
On August 13, 2025 (nearly one month after lodging the initial recodes request) LCS informed us that the department pulling this information estimates 12 hours of time to pull this information. The fee for this request would be $333.80 and reflected 10 hours of work. We challenged this fee, as records for IDEA funding compliance are presumptively centralized and accessible. Even so, we were informed that this request would require extensive use of resources and supervisory assistance.
We began a crowdfunding campaign and with our neighbors’ assistance we were able to pay a deposit of $255.00. We reached out to LCS on September 10th and confirmed their receipt of this and they stated they would begin working on the information. On October 6th the district cancelled the fee, and two documents were uploaded to the request platform. These documents were simply summaries of the information we requested. We reviewed the information provided and found that a decent amount of information was missing, and we reached out to LCS to notify them of the missing information.
- Source records, totals and breakdowns: example Bucklake’s paras, materials, etc Pineview’s paras, materials, etc
- Amount allocated to schools collectively
- Staffing plan documents: the produced table listed positions and FTE splits but no staffing plans
- No FDOE approval letters or close out reconciliations
On the same day, we were informed that our concerns would be forwarded to the appropriate department and we would receive an update.
Following Up for Facts—But the Key Numbers Never Came
On October 13 (almost a week later) we followed up on the request. We did not receive a response. We waited ten days and followed up again on October 24th, we were informed they were still working on the records. On October 29th three more documents were uploaded:
- A note stating that they do not have records of each school spending on materials with IDEA funding
- An Excel sheet denoting the number of paraprofessionals (paras) and the classroom behavioral specialists (CBS)
- The FLDOE notifications for each year
We were still missing the amount of funding provided to each school and the staffing plans. We notified LCS of the missing allocation of funds to each school.
Following up again on November 3rd, we were told that “all responsive records have been supplied”.
At that point we got in touch with the Attorney General and began the first step in the process of voluntary mediation which is to reach out to the district and explain why we disagree with their response. We attached the emails and the request. We also copied the special counsel email for the district to easily contact them if they choose voluntary mediation.
This was sent on Friday November 7th. We will continue to keep those invested in this process informed about this request.
Low Funding? Or Mismanagement? The Numbers Don’t Add Up.
Our School District continues their narrative of being victims of low funding. Yet, when we request to look at their budget to locate excessive spending, we receive silence, defensiveness, and answers like “the funding is allocated in hours.” A district that places three times the amount needed in materials and supplies denies our students resources for their education. Our district exhibits a fear of the public reviewing their finances. This is a red flag of mismanagement and questionable financial decisions. While the intent may not be to appear guilty of financial mismanagement, the impact magnifies concerns among neighbors about financial spending.
We are better together, keep the conversation going.
