Texas Governor Abbott Continues Successful Grant Program for Students with Special Needs

Statement from Patricia Levesque, ExcelinEd CEO, on Texas Governor Greg Abbott signing Senate Bill 1716 to make the Supplementary Special Education Services grant program permanent.  

“The Supplementary Special Education Services grant provided direct aid to families of students with special needs to customize their education and saw strong demand by parents. This program has unlocked new opportunities for these children, and by making the program permanent, more Texas students with special needs will benefit from additional educational supports.  

“We applaud Governor Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senator Larry Taylor, Senator Royce West, Representative Greg Bonnen and Representative Harold Dutton for recognizing that the value of this student-centered initiative will outlive the pandemic. 

“We also thank our partners, including Families Empowered, Texas Federation for Children and the Texas Education Agency, for their work on behalf of students.” 

More about the Supplementary Special Education Services (SSES) program: 

• This program, created initially as a temporary response to the pandemic with a one-time investment of federal COVID-19 relief funds, provides $1,500 to families of students with special needs to access educational resources and therapies to offset learning disruptions. 
• Senate Bill 1716 makes the program permanent. 
• Public school students with significant cognitive and complex disabilities can participate. More than 18,000 students are eligible, with priority given to students who have greater financial needs. 

• To date, nearly 7,000 students have received the SSES grant.