For the next minister's attention: The special education budget soared by 77%, but the amount per student did not increase

The special education budget has surged by 77% over six years to 26.5 billion shekels, but the amount per student has not grown due to a 61% jump in the number of eligible students. A Globes investigation reveals that despite the budget increase, the system suffers from a shortage of teachers and aides. Education Minister Yoav Kisch postponed the implementation of the Shapira Committee's recommendations until September 2027.

A Globes investigation reveals that the special education budget has surged by 77% over six years, from 15 billion shekels in 2021 to 26.5 billion shekels in 2026, but the amount per student has not increased. The reason: the number of children eligible for special education services jumped by 61% during the same period, while the overall student population grew by only 8.5%. Nachum Blass, a senior researcher at the Taub Center, explains that "the blanket is being spread wider, but the child covering themselves does so with the exact same blanket." The article notes that 16% of Israel's students, about 418,000, are eligible for special education services. Education Minister Yoav Kisch established a committee headed by Amos Shapira, which recommended reducing class sizes to 19 students and shortening the school week to five days. Kisch postponed the implementation of the recommendations until September 2027. The Ministry of Education stated that implementing the recommendations requires an investment of billions of shekels and legislative changes, and that the conditions had not matured during the war period.

For the next minister's attention: The special education budget soared by 77%, but the amount per student did not increase