Special%20Education%20Program%20Implementation%20Update

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Special Education Program Implementation Update

• Susan B. Mitchell
• Director of Special Education
• February 10, 2009

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Purpose of Presentation

• Provide an update on Special Education programs
  and services
• Review Special Education costs
• Provide an update on recommendations from Fiscal
  Crisis and Management Assistance Team report
  completed in August 2006
• Program Recommendations for 2009-2010 school year

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Special Education History

• Prior to 1975 (Special Education not required)
• 100,000 students out of school
• Federal Law created due to several lawsuits
• Public Law P.L. 94-142 (1975)
• Free and Appropriate Public Education
• Child Find Provision
• Reauthorization 1997 -Individuals with
  Disabilities Act (IDEA) 1997
• Individually designed services
• Participate and make progress in General
  Education
• Accountability

• Individuals with Disabilities Education
  Improvement Act (known as IDEA 2004)
• Focus on Accountability
• Focus on Improving educational results and
  functional outcomes
• Emphasis on reading, math and science with
  heightened responsibilities for general and
  special education collaboration
• Scientifically researched strategies and Response
  to Intervention (RtI)

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Numbers/Percentages Served
California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) (K-22) K-22 Pupil Count 0-22 Total Pupil Count Special Education K-22
Alameda 2006-07 10,260 936 1,089 9.12
Alameda 2007-08 10,315 1,000 1,134 9.69
Alameda 2008-09 10,183 1,017 1,151 9.99
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High Cost Disabilities, 3-22
Emotional disturbance (ED) of Pupil Count Autism of Pupil count Low Incidence of Pupil Count
Alameda 2006-07 45 4.13 86 7.60 28 2.57
Alameda 2007-08 68 6.00 94 8.29 56 4.94
Alameda 2008-09 70 6.08 106 9.21 54 4.69
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What are the costs?(07-08)

• Total Special Education Revenue 8,132,263
• Base Revenue 1,861,510
• Total Revenue 9,993,773
• Expenditures (15,449,224)
• General Fund Contribution 5,455,451
• General Fund of
• Expenditures 35.31 (of
  15,449,224)

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08-09 Anticipated General Fund Contribution
Increase

• 1,862,321 Increase
• Why?
• Lack of available personnel
• Contracted Speech Therapists
• Contracted Behavioral Support Services
• New teachers requiring on-going support
• Increased complexity of student needs
• Autism and Emotional Disturbance
• Increase in paraprofessional support
• Increase in cost for transportation services

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Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team
(FCMAT) Report

• Team visited and interviewed District in April
  2006
• Report completed in August 2006
• 121 recommendations
• Program Efficiency and Delivery
• Staffing
• Non-Public Schools / Non-Public Agency Costs
• Transportation
• Legal
• Accounting Processes
• Special Education Local Plan Agency Reorganization

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Progress to Date
Areas Yes No In Progress Items
Program Efficiency Delivery 26 8 10 44
Staffing 12 3 3 18
Non-Public Schools/ Non-Public Agencies 20 6 11 37
Transportation 5 2 2 9
Legal 3 1 1 5
Accounting Processes 5 5
Reorganization 3 3
Total 74 20 27 121
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Program Efficiency Delivery

• Progress to Date
• Continuum of Special Education Programs
• Resource Specialist Programs Related Services
• Mild/Moderate and Moderate/Severe Special Day
  Classes
• Counseling Enriched Classes (CEC) (3rd-12th
  grades)
• Continuum of Autism Programs
• Inclusion (K-12)
• BRIDGE Program (K-8)
• Elementary Autism Supported Inclusion (EASI)
• Intensive Special Day Class (Preschool-8th grade)

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Program Efficiency Delivery

• Progress to Date
• One-to-One Instructional Assistance
• Specialized Health Care
• Medi-Cal and Medi-Cal Administrative Activities
  (MAA) Billing

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Program Efficiency

• Next Steps
• 2009-2010
• Build the infrastructure of existing programs
• 2009-2010 to 2010-2011
• Expansion of existing programs
• Counseling Enriched Classes
• Intensive needs autism high school class
• 2009-2010 to 2011-2012
• Develop new district programs
• Center-Based early intervention program
• Expansion of services for 18-22 year olds

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Staffing

• Progress to Date
• August 2008-New Lead Speech/Language Therapist
  job position
• September 2008
• 4 - District Speech Therapists
• 8 - Non-Public Agency Speech Therapists
• January 2009
• 4 - Additional District Speech Therapists,
  replacing Non-Public Agency staff

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Staffing

• Progress to Date
• New Special Education Teachers
• Require mentoring, training and staff development
• Behavior Specialist
• Job posted and in process of interviewing
• School Psychologists
• High workload to meet assessment, behavioral and
  counseling demands
• Occupational Therapists
• Two District Occupational Therapists
• Additional positions provided by Non-Public
  Agency
• Special Education Nurse
• Provided by Non-Public Agency

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Staffing

• Next Steps
• Recruit and Hire
• District Speech Therapists
• Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers
• Additional School Psychologist
• Additional Occupational Therapist
• District Special Education Nurse
• Continue to provide mentoring, training and staff
  development

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Non-Public Schools Non-Public Agencies

• 2008-2009 Costs
• Non-Public Schools- 1,436,900
• Projected increase- 150,000
• Non-Public Agencies - 840,800
• Projected increase- 285,000

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Non-Public Schools

• Progress to Date
• Slight decline in number of students but cost per
  student has increased
• Next Steps
• Review all placements to determine which students
  are ready to return to district programs

School Year of Students
2007-2008 42
2008-2009 40
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High Cost Non-Public Agency Services

• Progress to Date
• High Costs continue for the following Non-Public
  Agency Services
• Behavioral Support Services
• Provide training to staff
• Provide behavioral support to classes
• Develop functional analysis assessments
• Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
• Occupational Therapy Services

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Non-Public School and Non-Public Agency Costs

• Next Steps
• Continuum of District Special Education Programs
  to reduce number of students placed in Non-Public
  Schools
• Autism
• Emotional Disturbance
• Moderate/Severe Disabilities
• District Special Education positions to reduce
  dependency on Non-Public Agencies
• Hire behavior specialist
• Additional psychologist
• Additional occupational therapist
• Special Education Nurse

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Transportation

• Progress to Date
• New transportation company
• Cost- 1.4M
• Next Steps
• Reduce costs
• Consolidate routes
• Explore options

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AUSD Special Education

• Provide students Free and Appropriate Public
  Education in the Least Restrictive Environment
• Compliance
• Highly Qualified Staff
• Partnership with General Education
• Partnership with Parents
• Fiscal Responsibility

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Summary

• How do we build the infrastructure of existing
  programs?
• Hire District staff to reduce dependency on
  Non-Public Agencies
• Speech Therapists
• Behavior Specialist
• Additional Psychologist
• Additional Occupational Therapist
• Half-time District Special Education Nurse
• Cost Neutral because District is currently paying
  Non-Public Agencies for these services that
  support our existing programs.

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• Questions?