This chapter explores the latest educational reform in Slovakia in 2023, which aimed to support inclusive education on a systemic level. Through critical policy analysis (Kaščák & Strouhal, 2023) it reveals that, despite the reform introducing a three-tiered system of support measures and redefining special educational needs (SEN), the funding system remains anchored to deficit-based categories of SEN (Qu, 2022), thereby perpetuating exclusionary practices. On one hand, the reform’s ‘allowance for support measures’ allocates funds based on total student numbers, irrespective of the SEN of students. On the other hand, schools still depend on external SEN diagnoses for additional funding and support. The financial incentives tied to these external SEN diagnoses are significantly higher than the general ‘allowance for support measures’. This financial reliance on deficit labels undermines the reform’s inclusive intent (Ebersold & Meijer, 2016; Meijer & Watkins, 2019). Moreover, the competitive educational environment, rooted in neoliberal discourse and driven by parental choice and standardised testing, exacerbates inequalities and segregation of low achieving students (Andrews et al., 2021; Bacon & Pomponio, 2023). The chapter argues that financial stimuli and funding structures significantly shape the practices of inclusive education, often hindering inclusion by prioritising cost-efficiency and market-driven approaches over comprehensive support for all students.