$40 million budget shortfall and special education

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how the budget shortfall will affect special education services? I have always heard that special ed is a separate budget, but as a parent of a special ed student, I am curious if anyone knows for sure.

[Anonymous]

I am wondering about that myself, but I guess few people with kids with special needs in DCPS actually read on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I think you are right, I posted the same in the special needs section but no response there either. Maybe readers there have younger kids or are in different school districts . . .

[Anonymous]

There really is no budget for special education. It is all a guestimate. When a vendor provides a bill to the city for special ed, regardless of whether the service was actually provided, the city must make the payment within fifteen days. What ever the cost for special education, the city must come up with the difference. Since special education is federally mandated, the state cannot basically claim a shortfall and argue that monies have to be reduced from other services for special education. Special education is a huge expense for DC government. The transportation portion alone cost the city almost 100,000,000 dollars. Other city services are reduced, including DCPS non-special education, but never special education. Providers of special education to DC students have no worries. Well, not until DCPS can provide special eduction services in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Providers of special education to DC students have no worries. Well, not until DCPS can provide special eduction services in DCPS.

There are still children receiving special ed services in their neighborhood DCPS schools. It is the services to these children that I am asking about. The services my child receives are for the most part provided by DCPS faculty and staff. My question is, and seems like you had an answer somewhere in there, can their services be reduced? It sounds like the answer is no. Some children really need these services, whether in their local dcps or private school.

[Anonymous]

If DCPS reduce those services to your special need child, then DCPS will have to pay another educator to provide those services at a greater cost (privates). So, I doubt DCPS will reduce your child's services. I think your child will be fine. Sorry, that is the best information I can give you.

[Anonymous]

Does your child have an IEP? And if so, does that IEP include specialized services (such as speech, OT, etc.)?

The IEP is is a legal contract which lays out the services your child is entitled to by law. DCPS cannot back out of that contract. They may choose to change providers (if they're contracting with one provider for speech and another for OT and they decide to go through a third who will provide both, then these are managerial decisions they are allowed to make). They are NOT allowed to decide your child only needs, say, 1 hour of speech instead of 2.

HTH.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, that helps. I wonder how this will affect the ability to introduce new services. Services should be based on need but in reality it may now be harder to have a child be found to need them.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a risk DCPS can afford to take. They lost control of Special Ed to a federal judge after doing it so poorly for so long. They are trying to prove their ability to bring it back "in house" so to speak. One of the programs that's developing some buzz is the special ed services at Hyde. If your child has an IEP you might try talking with DCPS about alternative placements - your child might end up in a spot at a coveted school (they'd have to have an IEP to qualify).

[Anonymous]

DCPS teacher here. The cuts should not affect services for your child. However, you could lose teachers due to the equalization process. Let's say your school has 3 special ed. teachers but the school only has 12 students, one of those teachers will be cut. Unlike regular classroom teachers, where there is some wiggle room, special ed and has strict guidelines for teacher / student ratios.

[Anonymous]

I am a special ed teacher in DCPS and there is NO talk of losing special ed teachers at our school (or others I know of). This is a high-needs area and there is a huge priority within DCPS to "fix" special ed so I really doubt any principals will be choosing that area to make cuts..wouldn't go over well with the big boss. Ultimately, though, the cuts are up to each principal so you could always go directly to him/her and inquire if special ed services are a targeted area for cuts at your school.