Over 23,000 students with disabilities in St. Louis County depend on the Special School District (SSD) to get the specialized support they are legally guaranteed. But right now, a funding crisis — created in large part by Missouri's failure to fully fund education — is pushing this district to the breaking point.

In May 2026, the SSD Board of Education approved a salary freeze for teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff. These are the people who show up every day for children with the most complex learning needs. They buy supplies out of their own pockets. They stay late. They build the kind of relationships that change kids' lives. And they are already leaving.

Teacher Lindsey Weatherby, a five-year SSD veteran and parent of two children who receive SSD services, put it plainly: "I've moved on to another district, and it is in direct correlation to the way that I feel valued as an employee." She is not alone. The district has struggled with a teacher shortage for years — and a salary freeze will make it worse.

Here's what drove SSD to this point: the Missouri legislature failed to fully fund the state's education budget for 2026-27, leaving a $190 million gap statewide. SSD alone is facing an estimated $83 million deficit. The district is required by state and federal law to staff enough educators to meet every student's individualized education plan (IEP) — but it cannot recruit and keep those educators without competitive pay.

When teachers leave, students with disabilities lose the consistent, specialized support their IEPs guarantee. That is not just a staffing problem. It is a legal and moral failure.

We are calling on Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and the Missouri General Assembly to fully fund the state education formula — including adequate support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — so districts like SSD are not forced to choose between keeping their doors open and keeping their best teachers. We are also calling on the SSD Board of Education to reverse the salary freeze as soon as funding is restored, so that the educators who serve Missouri's most vulnerable children are treated with the respect and compensation they have earned.

These students cannot wait. Their teachers cannot wait.