View Comments New Jersey will pump $125 million in additional funding into special-education programs in the coming year, a landmark increase that supporters say will ease the burden on local schools and families of students with disabilities. By law, local districts aren't allowed to take cost into account when determining educational needs for those students. But the costs of schooling for high-need students can crush the budgets of smaller communities, and lawsuits over families who feel shortchanged have become commonplace. So has pressure on parents to pick up and move to new districts thought to be more accommodating. “We were hearing people say a family moved in with three kids with challenges and now our budget is really screwed," said Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who championed the increase. "We recognized that we weren’t living up to our obligation as far as extraordinary aid for special education."