FLAT VERSUS WEIGHTED REIMBURSEMENT FORMULAS - A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSISOF STATEWIDE SPECIAL-EDUCATION FUNDING PRACTICES

Tennessee data were analyzed longitudinally from 1979-80 to 1987-88 in terms of numbers of children placed in a variety of service options. In 1983-84, the Tennessee funding formula was changed from a ''flat '' rate to a ''weighted'' formula The weighted formula was associated wi th a statistically significant decrease in less restrictive placements and a reliable increase in more restrictive placements. A statewide s urvey of district special education directors suggested that service n eeds may have been more likely than monetary incentives to explain the observed changes.