The common refrain is that schools are short on money largely because of the costs attributable to students with special needs. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin no school official can even remotely make this argument with a straight face. The school officials in Milwaukee applied for roughly $40,000 of the nearly $5.4 million available state-wide. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin with a long history of not meeting students needs. Its problems are systemic and long-standing. Even in a time of great need, it left a lot of money on the table, that it would have received but for apparent administrative inaction or worse. Short on cash MPS, do not blame the students with special needs just look in the mirror.