HARRISBURG — A bill to create a commission to help develop a new formula to distribute special education money to school districts in Pennsylvania is on its way to the governor’s desk.

The Senate approved the bill unanimously on Tuesday. It passed the House unanimously in March and Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign it.

Lawmakers say a new formula is needed so that school districts receive an amount of aid that is based on the actual cost of educating children with special needs.

The existing formula distributes money based on an estimated special education population.

The recommended formula would still require approval by the Legislature, and the 15-member commission would form every five years to review the formula. Pennsylvania distributes about $1 billion for special education from state tax dollars.