Act 117: “Every Child A Learner” Presented by: Vermont Department of Education Vermont School Boards Association

Workshop Outline Learn about evolution of Act 117 Goals of Act 117 Role of the School Board Activities to implement goals Connect with other state initiatives Identify questions and issues

A Little History 1975 EHAB/IDEA Pre-1989 Study Committees 1990 Act Act Cost Containment Com Act Blue Ribbon/Fiscal Review

Child Count 1997 avg. 11.1% ( %) 1998 avg. 11.8% ( %) 1999 avg. 12.4% ( %) 2000 avg. 12.8% ( %)

SPED Costs/ADM 1998 avg. = $979 ($441-$1,377) 1999 avg. = $1,088 ($467 - $1,607) 2000 avg. = $1,231 ($510 - $1,789) 2001 avg. = $1,365 ($632 - $2,324)

Factors Affecting SPED Costs Inflation – health insurance – salaries Cost shifts from human service agencies Technology advances (cochlear implants) Changes in technical center federal funding

Act 117 Passed in the spring of 2000 Strengthen capacity of education system to meet needs of all Vermont students

Act 117 Goals Increase capacity of general education Support consistency of special education Promote cost containment and effectiveness

Act 117 Goals Assess impact of human service costs Assist with unusual special ed. costs Identify factors affecting sped costs

Act 117 Activities Dissemination of information Annual ESS Survey Training opportunities and materials Monitoring and auditing

Act 117 Activities New Special Education Consultants Higher Education Collaborative Conducted IEP study Revised Special Education Rules

Role of the School Board Work with administrators to define goals for educational support systems Establish accountability systems Direct creation of time lines Monitor progress through benchmarks

Role of the School Board Understand and use student data Receive periodic Action Plan reports Recognize and support staff efforts to improve student achievement and success

Role of the School Board Ask right questions – provide informed oversight Direct reallocation of funds when data supports it Adopt key policies (ESS, prof. dev., assessment, action plan, evaluation, curriculum….)

Outcomes After 18 Months Service Plans – slowed from 14.1 to 8.9% Training 76 aspiring special education teachers Greater school focus on Educational Support Systems Identification of audit exceptions

Outcomes After 18 Months Child Count - reduced from 6.3% to 3.2% Medicaid – participation increased from 66.5% to 83.8% Preschool – federal funding for costs over $12,000

Training Opportunities & Materials Presentations and workshops IEP Decision Model Legal support Paraeducator materials and models

Connections with Other State Initiatives Act 60 and School Action Planning Standards and Learning Opportunities School Quality Standards

Connections with Other State Initiatives Assessment and Accountability Annual Child Count Annual collection of demographic data

Next Steps for Dept. of Ed. Annually conduct school surveys Educational Support System funding Review school Medicaid IEP reimbursements Use of Act 60 high poverty Limited English Proficiency funds

Higher Education Partnership UVM, State Colleges and St. Mike’s created special educator training program 76 students enrolled in 4 VT regions Licenses teachers currently on waivers Trains future special educators

ESS Highlights From 289 Schools 283 = Have Ed. Support Team 276 = Access to school nurse 264 = School-wide discipline plans 193 = Trained crisis response team 144 = Student mentoring program 140 = Home school coordinator 95 = School social worker 56 = Full day Kindergarten

Medicaid Reimbursements to 57 SUs 53 = Covered 10% of admin. costs 26 = Mental Health school clinicians 24 = Home School Coordinators 11 = After-school tutoring 10 = Speech support 9 = Occupational/Physical Therapy 9 = Literacy support for at-risk

Act 60 Poverty Fund Use Maintaining small class size Increasing Kindergarten time for students Strengthening literacy support Expanding early education opportunities Providing paraprofessionals Creating after school programs

Recruit & Maintain Special Educators Improve recruitment Reduce staff turnover Improve student outcomes Reduce paperwork

Provide Legal Support, Information & Training Develop model ESS policy and discipline plan for schools Revise SPED regulations Review administrative complaint process Provide technical assistance

Provide Training & Development Opportunities Delivered workshops to over 50 schools/supervisory unions Presented at BEST Institute Conducted Program & Fiscal Reviews at 14 sites Developed materials & forms for schools

Improve Consistency & Cost Effectiveness of SPED Analyzed 3000 IEPs Use findings to create trainings Revised SPED rules on eligibility Monitored SPED programs and ESS systems in 22 supervisory unions 22 additional supervisory unions will be monitored spring 2002

Hired 2 New Consultants for Disabilities & Autism Developed Learning Disabilities Guide Provided training & technical assistance Established five start-up grants for schools Created Autism Education Fact Sheet

Improve Cost Containment & Cost Effectiveness Financial audit of every supervisory union and district Develop IEP decision making model Distributed 500 “Guidelines for Making Decisions About IEP Service” Published FY2000 Annual Report

Assess Extent of Human Services Cost Shift Collaborate with VTDOE, Agency for Human Services & schools to implement Act 34 Review residential placement procedure Hired Student Support Team manager

Provide Assistance for Unusual SPED Costs Develop rules for unusual and unexpected special education costs Implement rules Collect data on use of funds for inclusion and report to legislature

Identify External Factors Affecting SPED costs Inflation – 70M increase in 10 years - 20 M due to inflation Health Insurance – 50% of benefits for professional staff is health insurance Salaries – Professional salaries increased by 6.6% over three years Human Service Cost Shift – Not measurable at this time but dramatic

Advances in Technology Cochlear Implants – 10 Vermont children have received implants to improve hearing No insurance coverage for recalibration, speech instruction and intensive therapy Increased physical problems due to newborn survival

Changes in Federal Tech Center Funding Carl Perkins funds reduced grant flexibility for special needs students Costs shifted back to sending schools Increased sending schools contributions statewide to $800,000

Next Workshop, March 11, 7:00 PM Educational Support System and Team Approaches to strengthening and increasing effectiveness of supports Role of the School Board in the ESS