Severe Budget Cuts to Special Education are Threatening Wake County’s Most Vulnerable Students. What You Need to Know and How to Help

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) Board of Education will hold a specially called meeting on Tuesday, March 24 from 5:00pm-9:00pm to discuss the budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Special meeting was called after administrators announced a proposed $18 million cut to the special education budget. Chair of the board, Tyler Swanson, said in a Facebook post that he called this meeting regarding the proposed budget cuts in hopes it will “begin to provide clarity, answer questions, and take meaningful steps toward restoring trust with our community.” Himself a former special education teacher at Enloe High School, he agrees that the cuts are far more meaningful than just numbers on a page; they concern “real support, real services, and real outcomes for children who depend on us.” The meeting will be open to the public, as well as livestreamed from the WCPSS Education Board YouTube channel.