Fulton County's nearly 10,000 students with disabilities face new uncertainty after the federal official overseeing special education funding resigned Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Kelly Rogers, acting head of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), announced her departure less than a day before much of her staff were scheduled to physically move to the Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C., GPB News reported. OSERS manages roughly $15 billion in funding for students with disabilities nationwide, including implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
No replacement has been named.
The resignation carries direct stakes for Fulton County Schools, where all 104 schools operate programs serving students with disabilities from age 3 through 21. IDEA is the federal law guaranteeing those students a free and appropriate public education.
Fulton already absorbing federal cuts
FCS is already navigating a shrinking federal pipeline. At the April 16 board meeting, Dr. MaryKay Berry, executive director of Services for Exceptional Children, reported that federal IDEA funding for the 2026–2027 school year would drop roughly $1.18 million, from $19.1 million to $17.9 million, according to the district's board bulletin. The district secured a $400,000 waiver to help offset the reduction and shifted some staff positions to other funding sources.
District officials said at that meeting that FCS remains fully compliant with federal requirements. But the broader picture in Georgia is less reassuring. The number of school districts found out of compliance with special education law nearly tripled statewide, rising from 68 cases in 2021 to 190 last year, Atlanta News First reported in June.
What the federal shakeup means
Rogers' resignation compounds uncertainty around the transfer of OSERS staff to HHS, part of the Trump administration's effort to restructure the Education Department. The president's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal would cut more than 80% of OSERS staff, according to GPB News.
"Now that the staff are physically moving, and one of those people is taken out, it adds even more confusion because now there's not clarity as to who's overseeing this outsourcing of special education through the IAA," Chad Rummel, CEO of the Council for Exceptional Children, told GPB News.
Disability rights advocates have opposed the transfer. When it was first announced in July, Denise Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), said the proposal would add bureaucracy while creating confusion for families, educators and state agencies.
Rogers had served in the role since May after previously directing Florida's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Education Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse confirmed the departure in an email to NPR.
Local resources for families
FCS operates special education programs district-wide. The district's SEC Parent Advisory Panel, a 28-member group with representatives from each zone, connects families of students with disabilities to district leadership.
