High Need Fund (HNF)

The High Need Fund was established pursuant to Section 162.974, RSMo, to provide funding support for a Local Education Agency (LEA) with “High Need Students.” These students are special education students whose educational costs exceed three times the LEA’s current expenditure per Average Daily Attendance (ADA). Reimbursement to LEAs under the High Need Fund for qualifying students is made without regard to disability or placement. Students should NOT be claimed on the both the High Need Fund and Public Placement Fund applications.

HNF Instruction/Approval Process

• HNF Manual

HNF Payment

• HNF FY24 Payment
• FY20-FY24 HNF Payment History

Public Placement Fund

The Public Placement Fund is reimbursement for educating both IEP and non-IEP students placed within a non-domicile LEA by the Children’s Division (CD), the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Division of Youth Services (DYS), or a Court of Competent Jurisdiction. Funding is available when the educational costs of these students exceed the revenues received by the serving LEA.

PPF Instruction/Approval Process

• PPF Manual

PPF Applications Received

• FY25 PPF Applications Received 11-07-24

PPF Payment

• FY24 PPF Payment
• FY19-FY24 PPF Payment History

PPF Application

• PPF Application

Readers for the Blind Program

Any legally blind citizen of Missouri who regularly attends a public LEA, a special school district, a Missouri college, university, technical or professional school that is legally authorized to grant degrees, other than an institution established for the regular instruction of the blind, may apply to Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) for Readers for the Blind Program services.

LEAs educating legally blind students and employing a person or person(s) to read to the students from textbooks and materials used at the LEA may receive reimbursement of up to five hundred dollars per reader from the State.

RBP Manual

• RBP Manual

RBP Payment

• FY24 RFB Payment

RBP Application

• RFB Application

Student eligibility must be certified each school year, following the beginning of the fall term.  An application must be completed and submitted electronically to spedfunding@dese.mo.gov by November 30^th every year.  All students listed who are new to the program, or who have not had a current eye report submitted within the past three years must have a current eye report submitted electronically along with the application.

Public Comment

Payment Information

• HNF, PPF and RBP Payments