Special Education Finance MAASE December 3, 2012 Michele A. Harmala, Ph.D. Farmington Public Schools Associate Superintendent, Instructional Services and Organizational Leadership

State Aid Foundation Allowance Categorical (Section 51a) SE Transportation Revenue PA 18 OISD IDEA and Preschool Incentive Federal Medicaid Federal State Aid Foundation Allowance Categorical (Section 51a) SE Transportation PA 18 ISD Medicaid Federal

% Obligation for S.E Cost $286,138 and % for S.E. Transportation Cost Section 53 funds for eligible students (100% reimbursement) Foundation Allowance State Aid Section 51a Special Education State Obligation $160,000 $126,138 12

Federal Programs Under Normal Circumstances: OISD

Division of Special Education Costs in Oakland ISD FY 07/08

Division of Special Education Revenues for OISD LEAs FY 07/08

Calculation of State Aid Special Education Cost$1,000,000 State Obligation Primary Bucket $286,138 Foundation Allowance Deduct ($8,000 x 20 FTE) $160,000 Difference between Obligation and Foundation Allowance Section 51a Payment Bucket 2 $126,138

Public Act - 18 Public Act 18 (PA-18) funds are the mils raised by the Oakland ISD taxpayers for the operation of Special Education Programs within Oakland ISD. It is clearly affected by the SEV of the community.

Funding Priorities of PA 18 in OISD 1.ISD Operations 2.Common ISD programs such as: 1.Start-Up and Extraordinary 2.Section 24 and Group Homes 3.Capital Needs 3.Distributions to the LEA (PA-18 Distribution)

Special Education Funding Public Act 18: County SE millage  How funds are used is determined by County EXAMPLE:  OS costs  Center costs covered  Remainder allocated  Weighted per pupil formula  Greater time in GE = more dollars per formula  Increase of 1 FTE yields 1 foundation allowance (may be spread across multiple students)  Percent of students with IEPs in GE 80% or more in the last 5 years: 64%, 63%, 62%, 46%, 43%

Special Education Funding MDE assures approx. 28% of total allowable costs If foundation is greater than 28%, the 28% is considered part of foundation allowance— no additional funds Example: $50,000 para 10,000 SE Tchr 4,000 GE Tchr $64,000 Total $60,000 allowable X.28% reimb. $16,800 - $6,800 foundation $10,000 reimbursed

Special Education Funding Example: $4000 GE Tchr $6700 SE Tchr +$2300 Speech $13,000 Total (9,000 allowable cost) X.28 % reimb. $2520 (less than foundation, therefore no reimbursement)

Center for Special Education Finance: National Statistics Special Education Cost Approximations Cost of Basic Classroom Programs  3 times cost of GE elementary  2.45 times cost of GE middle school  2.3 times cost of GE high school Cost of Resource Room Programs  1.8 times cost of GE elementary  1.3 times cost of GE middle school  1.2 times cost of GE high school

Considerations High expectations for all students All students are general education students Disability is a natural part of the human experience IDEA focuses on outcomes & results Special Education is a service, NOT a place.

MEGS to manage Flowthrough and Preschool Funds & the SE-4096 MEGS is the online system used by the MDE 3 grants are visible (coded by color: Red, Blue, Green)  Past  2 Current Yr 1 of Yr 2 of SE – 4096 is the SE Cost Report used by the MDE  Documents SE expenditures  Learn about Maintenance of Effort (MOE)

Strategic Cost Containment District Long Range Plan Special Ed Needs General Ed Needs

Gen Ed Needs PD Activities Materials orders Communication s and marketing District Committees

How to address the unique needs of special education staff? Train the trainers model Use of contractual district PD days Release time during the school year Use of technology, WIKIs, Moodles for large group or independent learning Folders on shared hard drive After school or summer PD

Shared Ownership/Leadership All staff need to understand financial implications of decisions District-wide awareness of SPPIs, CIMS, public reporting, etc. Responsibility for monitoring achievement and discipline data (suspension/expulsion) Principals share ownership of the staff evaluation process AYP implications for achievement of students with disabilities Focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment of and for learning, and professional growth

Culture Need to explicitly teach staff how to be part of the bigger system Engage in open sharing of information and trust that it will be used for good Remember that special ed has no magic wands; just fewer kids Separate funding streams may separate us at times, but don’t use it as an excuse

Strategic Cost Containment Focuses on: Leveraging existing district initiatives/process Eliminating redundancy Coordinating resources Shared responsibility/accountability Preservation of special ed funds for unique needs

Local District Changes to Control Costs: Increasing time for all students in GE, with support Providing a continuum of services, and service in the ‘home’ school Serving center eligible students in FPS (Autism) Dispersing ancillary staff across multiple buildings increases cost (mileage) and reduces efficacy (knowledge of students/staff/school) Increasing early intervening services (ICT) and implementing Positive Behavior Support Using professional vs. paraprofessional staff