HEWITT, Texas (KXXV) — "It's a challenge, and it hurts us a lot, and it hurts the kids," elementary school teacher Amanda Chasteen said.
Amanda Chasteen is in her 3rd year teaching third grade at Spring Valley Elementary School.
"When there is that lack of funding, it just puts a bit more onus on the gen ed class and the gen ed teachers," Chasteen said. "Funding and education in general is always needed, but especially in that special education front."
According to Midway's 2025 legislative priorities -- over the past five years, Midway ISD has faced a $5.7 million special education funding gap.
She told 25 News it's taking a toll on our teachers.
"We're spending additional time, you know, taking our at-grade level curriculum, and we're finding ways to make it approachable for them," Chasteen said. "It's taking additional time and resources from the teachers to make sure that we're able to do that for them."
Chasteen told 25 News many of her students need additional time to understand her lessons.
"We try an education to always, you know, meet each learner where they are and help them grow from wherever they are," Chasteen said.
But without the funds for additional resources.
"It's hard to do that when you're given a round peg, and you're trying to fit in a square hole sometimes," Chasteen said. "It would be great, you know, if we could have more supplemental support, more push, and support, more curriculum that was already geared for those kids."
