Special education programs begin to feel budget pinch
Chicago Tribune : March 09, 2011
Fiscal burden is starting to fall on teachers in the form of extra work, and some worry that will take a toll on students
Special education teacher Colleen Kudla oversees a classroom of eight students with severe disabilities. Without the help of her three aides, Kudla says, she wouldn't be able to manage class.
"All the students are nonverbal," said Kudla, who teaches at Central Elementary School in southwest suburban Plainfield. "My biggest fear would be losing my staff."
With Illinois facing a potential $10 billion deficit that includes a backlog of about $1.2 billion in unpaid bills for public schools, districts throughout the state have been slashing teaching and administrative positions left and right.
So far, most districts say they have steered away from cuts that directly affect special needs students, but some worry that special education programs are in jeopardy, especially if the money doesn't come soon.
Indian Prairie School District 204 –– serving portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield –– and Evanston School District 65, for example, have dealt with the money shortage by not filling administrative and secretarial jobs.
Such measures don't have an immediate effect in the classroom, but teachers end up taking on more paperwork duties, which eventually will take a toll on them and their students, some experts warn.
Sharon Gronemeyer, assistant superintendent for student services at Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, said the quality of learning in their special education program has not been affected, but cautioned that "it will take a toll if we continue in this direction without significant changes in either funding or program mandates."
District 202 –– which is waiting for $14.9 million in state funding, of which $5 million is designated for special education –– has already cut 9.5 full-time special education secretarial positions, 11.5 full-time special education administrator positions and 13 full-time diagnosticians during the last two years.
Just this month, the district avoided mass layoffs for next school year after deciding to use a one-time $5.7 million federal education jobs grant.
"Classroom teachers are now doing a lot of the paperwork and assessments that secretaries did before," said Gronemeyer. "It is wrong to think that none of the cuts we've made do not affect students. But some, like teachers, affect (students) more directly."
Jeanna Reed, former District 202 special needs PTA president and mother of a 6-year-old son with a mild form of autism, said parents are experiencing a tougher time reaching out to officials within the special education department.
"There's no 'go-to' person to call anymore," said Reed.
Reed is also concerned that a lack of funding may be influencing special education officials to take children out of the program too early. Reed feels her son was placed prematurely into mainstream classes after showing signs he was overcoming his disability.
"I think Illinois schools aren't prepared to handle the influx of students with disabilities. The lack of funding is making it tougher," said Reed, who hired an outside agency to help reinstate her son in a school program more appropriate for him.
Indian Prairie District 204 is waiting for $8.7 million in state funding, with $6 million of that slated for special education. Last year, the district let go of 145 staff members, with 10 percent of the cuts affecting the special education department. Some of those staff members were rehired this year, while several open administrative secretarial positions were not filled.
Evanston District 65 is waiting for $3.7 million in state funding for the current year with about $2.7 million budgeted to go to their special education program. The district chose not to fill three vacant administrative positions in the program.
"The thing to keep in mind is there is a lot about special education that is mandated (by the state)," saidSharon Tate, assistant superintendent of student services for District 204. "We don't have choices. So what happens is you begin looking at making reductions in the school as a whole to avoid cutting within the program."
Matthew Cohen, a Chicago lawyer who represents families who fight for special education services, said teachers are already taking on more than they can handle.
"The consequences are teachers have heavier case loads, less opportunity for individualized instruction and less opportunity to work with families," said Cohen.
Cohen said the state requires numerous mandates for special education programs, including teachers developing individualized education plans, called IEPs, for each student.
"The IEP, data gathering and special reporting requirements all require a number of hours to complete," he said.
Unlike other districts throughout the state, Chicago Public Schools are exempt from state special education funding rules. In the mid-1990s, a law was passed giving Chicago schools block grants for special education.
Other districts, though, must account for all their special education teaching positions in order to seek annual reimbursement from the state.
In 2010, CPS received about $421 million for special education, according to district documents, which also indicate that the system will receive about $497 million for special education in 2011.
"Most large school districts want to use the block grant system," said Rod Estvan, education policy analyst from Access Living, a Chicago advocacy group. CPS, though, struggles with its own problems with the block grant system, Estvan said.
"There are many of us who feel that the grant system opens the door for Chicago to not fill necessary special education positions," said Estvan. "Leaving them empty is a way for them to save money."
Chicago Public Schools officials did not return messages.
Kudla said she works on about two IEPs a month, mostly during personal time. In the past, her now laid-off special education administrator helped her with the job; now the school principal is assisting her and other special education teachers.
"We're just working harder, but I really do feel all the needs of the students are being met," said Kudla.
Mary Brown, chief financial officer and treasurer for District 65, said her district's special education department has been doing better financially than those elsewhere thanks to a substantial increase in its tax levy.
"We're lucky right now," said Brown. "But we don't know what the future will bring."
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