Posted: Friday, July 26, 2013 6:45 am | Updated: 7:02 am, Fri Jul 26, 2013.
President John F. Kennedy gave himself nearly a decade to send an astronaut to the moon. A state commission has until Nov. 30 to put together a new funding formula for special education — and its task might be more challenging.That 15-member panel held a hearing in Doylestown on Thursday, looking for a way to “drive money to districts based on need, not on disability,” said state Rep. Bernie O’Neill.O’Neill, a Warminster Republican, and Sen. Pat Browne, a Lehigh County Republican, are co-chairs of the commission seeking input on how to fairly distribute tax dollars for an expensive problem that continues to grow.
“Today’s costs are not tomorrow’s costs,” said Barry Galasso, executive director of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. “It’s very difficult to pigeonhole.”
Galasso was among several IU directors testifying Thursday about the costs of special education.
Maria Edelberg, assistant executive director at Delaware County, used examples of seven students with a variety of disabilities who would cost from $31,000 to $73,000 a year to educate. Most area districts spend between $12,000 and $18,000 to educate non-special ed students.
Currently, state funding is based on an estimate that special education students make up 16 percent of the overall student population in each district. O’Neill, a former special education teacher for 25 years in the Centennial School District, has called that formula “archaic.”
Dave Matyas, business administrator of the Central Bucks School District, and Dale Scafuro, its director of student services, testified that in the last six years CB’s special education expenses have grown from $30 million to $38 million. State support, however, has remained flat at $7.5 million.
State and federal mandates are part of the problem, Matyas said.
“Rising pension costs and tough economic climates throughout most communities are causing school districts to reduce costs in other education areas to preserve mandated special education programs and hold the line on taxes,” he said.
Matyas said transportation is a factor the committee should consider in special ed expenses. Central Bucks operates 35 buses for students with “greater special needs.” They cost $75,000 per bus while a standard bus costs $45,000 to operate.
State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-96, said those numbers illustrate only part of the challenge because a standard bus might hold 40 or 50 children while a special ed bus likely only carries a handful of students.
“On a per student basis, it’s not one-and-a-half times the cost,” Sturla said. “It’s seven times the cost.”
State Rep. Marguerite Quinn, R-143, who was a guest on the panel as the hearing was held in her district, called the presentation “really eye-opening.”
Created by Act 3 of 2013, the commission’s formula must include the establishment of three cost categories for students receiving special education services, ranging from least intensive to most intensive.
The commission must obtain a student count for each school district, averaged for the three most recent school years, for each cost category established. It will assign a weight to each category of disability and develop a fair system for distributing the funding.
“There are a lot of people working behind the scenes on this,” O’Neill said. “That’s the purpose of getting this information. We’re trying to look at each category and drive money to districts based on need, not on disability.”
Browne said the state’s diversity adds to the “difficult challenge” because of the “demographics and relative wealth” of different areas. “That’s why we’re taking the work of the commission around the state so we can assess that.”
“Today’s costs are not tomorrow’s costs,” said Barry Galasso, executive director of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. “It’s very difficult to pigeonhole.”
Galasso was among several IU directors testifying Thursday about the costs of special education.
Maria Edelberg, assistant executive director at Delaware County, used examples of seven students with a variety of disabilities who would cost from $31,000 to $73,000 a year to educate. Most area districts spend between $12,000 and $18,000 to educate non-special ed students.
Currently, state funding is based on an estimate that special education students make up 16 percent of the overall student population in each district. O’Neill, a former special education teacher for 25 years in the Centennial School District, has called that formula “archaic.”
Dave Matyas, business administrator of the Central Bucks School District, and Dale Scafuro, its director of student services, testified that in the last six years CB’s special education expenses have grown from $30 million to $38 million. State support, however, has remained flat at $7.5 million.
State and federal mandates are part of the problem, Matyas said.
“Rising pension costs and tough economic climates throughout most communities are causing school districts to reduce costs in other education areas to preserve mandated special education programs and hold the line on taxes,” he said.
Matyas said transportation is a factor the committee should consider in special ed expenses. Central Bucks operates 35 buses for students with “greater special needs.” They cost $75,000 per bus while a standard bus costs $45,000 to operate.
State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-96, said those numbers illustrate only part of the challenge because a standard bus might hold 40 or 50 children while a special ed bus likely only carries a handful of students.
“On a per student basis, it’s not one-and-a-half times the cost,” Sturla said. “It’s seven times the cost.”
State Rep. Marguerite Quinn, R-143, who was a guest on the panel as the hearing was held in her district, called the presentation “really eye-opening.”
Created by Act 3 of 2013, the commission’s formula must include the establishment of three cost categories for students receiving special education services, ranging from least intensive to most intensive.
The commission must obtain a student count for each school district, averaged for the three most recent school years, for each cost category established. It will assign a weight to each category of disability and develop a fair system for distributing the funding.
“There are a lot of people working behind the scenes on this,” O’Neill said. “That’s the purpose of getting this information. We’re trying to look at each category and drive money to districts based on need, not on disability.”
Browne said the state’s diversity adds to the “difficult challenge” because of the “demographics and relative wealth” of different areas. “That’s why we’re taking the work of the commission around the state so we can assess that.”
2 comments:
2 comments:
Independentvoter2 posted at 10:18 am on Fri, Jul 26, 2013.
Posts: 807
Too many parents are advocating for "special services," that should be provided by the parent. I feel bad that children have disabilities, but for parents (and the state/legal system to agree) to mandate that their child get an assistant to walk around with them because they can't handle the hallways on their own is ridiculous. Schools spend millions of dollars a year on items that parents should be forced to provide if they feel are necessary.
This does not even include the lawsuits and legal fees associated with defending special education programs because their "free education" was somehow violated. Many parents use their children as pawns to get cash from school districts. The state and federal governments have to go back and change the ADA and IDEA laws to reflect the current times. It's one thing if a child has a significant disability that requires life-skills classes, it's entirely another if they are behavioral issues because their parents can't do their job.
JSD posted at 9:05 am on Fri, Jul 26, 2013.
Posts: 1
My son is getting Sp Ed services: speech therapy, 30 minutes every week. I know this doesn't cost a school district the figures quoted in this article. What's not fair is that schools get the same funding for students with simple needs like my son versus a child who needs a nurse or a child who attends an approved private school and rides a bus there with only a few other students. When the federal government put special education laws in place, they also said they would fund the additional costs. The funding has been minimal so schools have had to bear the costs which means that local school taxes have had to cover what the federal government promised to pay for.
Log In to report.
Hemi3518 posted at 1:56 am on Sat, Jul 27, 2013.
Posts: 2
Your ignorance is beyond startling. Do you have any idea about parenting a child with special needs? Most of us pay for services after school five days a week, and not to mention the doctor appointments, etc. There is no such phenomenon as a lackadaisical special needs parent. However, you have just proven there are many ignorant and arrogant people in our population. Perhaps you need to spend some time going over our finances and therapy schedule in order to make such claims. In case you haven't kept up with the latest CDC statistics, 1 in 29 boys have autism. 1 in 5 children have a developmental delay. You do not "feel bad" for anyone. I really feel sorry for you, and anyone who is unlucky enough to be unenlightened by your banter. I hope to God you never need to be a caretaker for a child with needs. Good luck with that. And since when is the district giving out cash? What did I miss? LOL.
Log In to report.
Reply
.
Independentvoter2 posted at 8:36 am on Sat, Jul 27, 2013.
Posts: 808
Did I mention anything about autism? I know more about autism and other disabilities then most. I understand that a lot of students have legitimate disabilities. What I don't understand is how parents, and more specifically lawyers, got to the point where instead of advocate they can mandate.
More to the point, I'm talking about students who had specific learning disabilities in elementary school, grew out of them (as many children do) and their parents still keep them in special education for the extra "free" services. It's a legitimate point that not everyone receiving services should be getting them.
I'm sure that the situation may be personal for you and I empathize with it, but you cannot tell me that every family is dealing with the same problems you are. Too many people think of special education as the most severe cases, when in fact it is almost always the opposite.
Their is only so much money to go around and I would rather the money go to children with real disabilities, then to parents who are lazy.
Log In to report.
Reply
.
Hemi3518 posted at 9:28 am on Sat, Jul 27, 2013.
Posts: 2
I'm not certain you really know these parents like I do. The majority of these families want their children mainstreamed. My daughter has severe Auditory Processing Disorder. Unfortunately, she can only receive an hour of speech a week from the district. So, we have to send her to private speech twice a week after school. Do you think that is fair? I do not know one family in our school that needs less services. The service coordinators are evaluating these kids and I guarantee these children need more, not less. You did not mention Autism, but I needed to remind you that it is an epidemic along with ADHD and other delays. The demand is there for services. I'm not certain you know more about Autism or any other disability unless you are a parent of such a child.
Post a Comment