Dr. Louis Esposito is the executive director of ABLE NH.

It seems like every day there’s a hearing, a vote or an executive order that could drastically change how supportive education is run in New Hampshire.

Federally, we’re seeing attempts to dismantle the Department of Education, a move that would strip away many of the protections students with disabilities rely on. At the state level, we’ve seen confusing changes to how special education is defined, public funds being funneled to private schools that are allowed to refuse students with disabilities and many other proposals that quietly chip away at inclusion.

One local school district budget hearing even floated the idea of whether a “no vacancy” sign should be posted for students with disabilities attempting to move into the district.

Make no mistake, these changes are alarming. So, it’s no surprise that many people were concerned by the April 2 headline: “School in Lakes Region Explores Creating a Special Education School to Bring Down Costs.” In a world where attacking public education has become more common, this news felt like yet another threat to the “I” in DEI: inclusion.

Let’s be clear, school districts are facing challenges they’ve never seen before. How can they keep special education costs in check while continuing to meet their legal and moral obligation to provide students with a free and appropriate public education? For how much longer can districts across the state continue to provide services without more support from the state?

In my experience, it’s the IEP team that brings creativity and outside-the-box thinking to ensure a student’s education is individualized and meaningful. While money always plays a role, it’s not what’s front-of-mind for students, families or educators when they come together to plan supports.

Now, school districts are being forced to get creative.

I don’t believe the districts mentioned in the article intended to remove students from their general education classrooms. Many students across New Hampshire already attend out-of-district placements based on IEP team decisions. These decisions go through rigorous review and are often the result of districts trying to meet complex needs.

But the article did raise important questions: How much are schools paying for contracted services from town to town? How sustainable is this reliance on contractors? And what are we doing to build up our own workforce, our special educators, related service providers and paraprofessionals so we’re not stuck in this expensive cycle?

It makes sense for schools to look for cost-saving measures. But some are looking in the wrong direction. The real solutions won’t be found in separating students or centralizing services alone. The answers are at the State House.

Right now, school districts are in desperate need of support, but the state is focused on dismantling DEI initiatives and expanding Education Freedom Accounts. There’s a bill to explore special education costs, but based on how the state has handled similar commissions like COGE, there’s little reason to believe it will lead to meaningful change to inclusion.

The state should be stepping up to support our underfunded public schools. We need real investments to recruit and retain special education teachers and related service providers. Not just contracts but full-time, committed professionals under local teachers’ agreements. We need solutions to the growing paraprofessional crisis, as many of these essential school staff are nearing retirement. They are often the backbone of school communities and know the students, the families and the daily realities better than many administrators.

The bottom line is this: Students with disabilities have the right to be included and supported in their local schools. That’s not up for debate. Instead of floating ideas that could move us backwards, we need to demand more from the state.

We need real funding, real staffing solutions and a commitment to making public education work for every student. School districts can’t do this alone, and they shouldn’t have to. We can do better, New Hampshire.