Comments on: AAPS Reviews Special Ed, Clemente Center http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center it's like being there Tue, 16 Sep 2014 04:56:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2 By: Maria Huffman http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-236042 Maria Huffman Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:33:19 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-236042 It bears repeating that charters schools are public schools and are every bit as obliged to provide special education services and at the intensity and level as traditional public schools. That’s the law. Now, they don’t seem to interested in that, but I believe, their boards too should be discussing their schools plans for special education starting with self contained classrooms on up to full general ed inclusion, with their special education staff,and, in particular,with their director of special ed (who is that, by the way at the EAA?), and also with the parents of their students about what to do about things like the autism tsunami, etc and do it in televised meetings for the community to view, just like we do.

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By: Ruth Kraut http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-233155 Ruth Kraut Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:28:47 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-233155 I’d kind of like to see the administration say to the Roberto Clemente community–staff, parents, and kids–we will need to move your program, either to the Ann Arbor Tech/Stone School building, or the Pioneer Building. Which would you (not Ben Edmonson, but everybody) prefer? The cost savings could be similar either way.

I appreciate the school board asking for metrics on special education data. In that spirit, I think it would be really helpful to describe the cost of special education students in a range. The average special education student might cost the district $17,000/year, but the majority of special education students cost a lot less–or to use the median. The average is skewed by a small group of students with severe disabilities who cost a lot. Most students with IEPs have fairly mild disabilities (often speech or reading disabilities) and only need a small amount of assistance/accommodations.

Further, it’s not true that charter schools “don’t have to take” special education students. They are supposedly required to do so. [Read more here, starting at question 54: (link to .pdf file)] The fact is that they do often discourage their special education students from continuing, and they should be held accountable.

On the topic of Community High’s potential switch from block scheduling, would it really save money? This will be a fine topic to discuss at one of the community forums that are scheduled with board members in the coming month. The first one is Thursday evening March 28th, 7-9 p.m., at Clague Middle School.

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By: Ann O'Connell http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-233058 Ann O'Connell Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:11:10 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-233058 While the article correctly reports the remarks on Special Education expenses and reimbursements made by trustees Glen Nelson and Christine Stead, they were both incorrect in how they used the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) number for special education students.

Per the Michigan Department of Education web site, special education student FTE are the sum of all the time each individual special education student was receiving Special Education services on the most recent Student Count day. Since the large majority of Special Education students spend almost all their time in general education classrooms and receive accommodations but no services. Those students generate only 0.16 FTE if they attend an Academic Support or Resource Room for one class period each day, and only 0.014 FTE if they participate in twice-monthly therapy or skill-building groups. The correct base for calculating both the average expenditure per Special Education student and the amount those students generate in Foundation Allowance is the number of students with IEPs. In Ann Arbor, that number is much closer to 2,000 than 390. And so, in Trustee Nelson’s example, the district needs to use $10.3 million of the approximately $18.9 million generated by the foundation allowance for special education students to cover the costs of the special education services they receive. This is a difference of over $11 million to the good vs. having to spend almost $7 million of general fund dollars beyond the general fund revenue generated by enrolling special education students.

Also, in spite of Dr. Elaine Brown’s assertion in the SISS report that appropriate support of students with disabilities is less expensive when delivered in a “more inclusive environment”, redistributing the students now served primarily in one self-contained classroom into as many as 10 different neighborhood schools will require up to 10 teaching assistants to appropriately support that group of students versus the 2 now in place. The general and special education teachers in 10 different schools will be required to learn how to adapt and modify lessons for each specific new special needs student in their building, instead of leveraging the expertise that has already been developed in the schools hosting each particular leveled classroom or targeted resource room. Parents are rightly concerned that their students will NOT be appropriately or effectively supported when attending neighborhood schools where the staff is inexperienced at educating students with those particular disabilities. Nor is there a plan to develop the needed skills and knowledge by the teaching staff or hire and train the parapros needed in all affected schools in time for the start of the 2013-14 school year.

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By: Barb B. http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-233029 Barb B. Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:29:49 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-233029 The level of ignorance presented by the BOE regarding special education is amazing. There are NOT 390 students with IEPs, that number is the staff allocated to special education. There are actually about 2,000 students with IEPs in the district. So the $87,000 per student is wrong by a factor of 5. And there are people at that board table who should know better. Shameful.

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By: lynn http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-232015 lynn Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:46:17 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-232015 All this manufactured crisis so that public money can finally be transferred to private schools. The teacher’s have agreed to 3% cuts added to 2% cuts within the last 5 years. It is time for the administrator’s to step up and take their cuts as well. My property taxes haven’t gone down one bit. Where is the money going? How is it there is no outrage when the U of M hires a $400,000 a year lawyer to assess risk? Isn’t he a public employee?

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By: Herb http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/03/24/aaps-reviews-special-ed-clemente-center/comment-page-1/#comment-230886 Herb Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:29:13 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=109019#comment-230886 Reading this article, about an organization facing 10% of budget deficit, but mainly concerned about new projectors gives a surreal feeling. The waves are washing over the sides and the officers of the Titanic are discussing changes to dinner seating. In the past I have supported funding for AAPS including some millages but not any more.

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