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School district juggles students’ special needs with costs
Number of special education students in district rises
By Andrew Amelinckx
HUDSON — A Hudson City School District budgetary meeting was held at Hudson High School Tuesday.
Barbara Boyce, director of student services for the district, discussed her department’s financial needs for the upcoming year, which mainly deal with special education issues.
Last year’s total budget for student services, including transportation, was about $5,700,000. No projected total for next school year was given at the meeting.
According to Daniel Barrett, the district’s business manager, transportation and student services represent about 20 percent of the district’s entire budget.
During the presentation, Boyce said that among her many duties is providing the best education possible for the district’s special needs students while looking for cost savings where possible.
Boyce said that the current number of special education students in the district was higher this year than in the two previous school years — from about 21 percent in the 2006-07 school year to 22.4 percent this year — and is projected to rise next year.
The projected staffing shows an increase of 2.4 teachers for the district, with kindergarten through second grade having a total of 5.6 full-time teachers this year, with another to be added next year.
There are currently 61 students, age three to five, in preschool special education. Twenty-four students entered kindergarten in 2008-09, with 39 entering next year.
Expenses for the 2007-08 school year were $119,315.
Gov. David Paterson has proposed that the state’s districts pick up 15 percent of the cost of pre-kindergarten special education beginning this upcoming budget year.
“It’s probably going to be increasing every year,” said BOE member Peter Rost at the meeting. Barrett agreed, suggesting that this was a way for the governor to “get his foot in the door” to shift the expenses from the state.
Boyce also discussed related special education services and projected expenses.
Speech therapy is expected to see an increase of 20 students needing this service, from 53 to 73.
In the area of social work and psychological counseling there is projected to be 15 less students in need of these services, while staffing numbers will remain the same, with some shifting within the different schools.
Physical therapy, which costs the district $5,300 a month and comes from the general reserve fund, is projected to have one less student needing this service, down from 28 students this year to 27 next year.
Boyce said she had contacted VTA Management Services, a private therapy agency, looking for more cost-effective ways to provide therapy.
A large part of the student services budget appears to come from BOCES Questar III services. These are shared special education services for students whose specialized needs can’t be met within the district, according to Boyce’s presentation.
Questar III provides instructional and support services, including special education, to 23 school districts with about 40,000 students in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties.
In 2006-07 the district spent $992,462 on these services. That number increased by $8,060 the next school year.
The 2008-09 school year has a projected $1,282,823 being spent on the BOCES programs, with a projected $1,419,172 for the upcoming school year.
The cost in these programs ranges between $30,000 and $50,000 per student age 5 to 21.
Boyce gave some examples of the services the district uses from Questar III and their costs.
The Program of Alternative Comprehensive Education costs about $53,509 per student, including related services.
The “highly structured program” serves students with “moderate to severe developmental delays and emotional/behavioral difficulties” and has a high staff to student ratio, according to the BOCES Web site.
Another service the district uses is the Challenge Intensive program, which costs $50,207 including related expenses per student. This program is a “highly structured and intensive educational option for students with emotional disabilities requiring significant behavioral management,” again according to the BOCES Web site.
The district also provides private placement to students whose special education needs can’t be met by the district or BOCES.
In 2008-09 the district budgeted $771,433 for these services but actually spent $1,167,282. According to Barrett, the gap between the projected and actual costs was due to the district having to serve several students that it hadn’t expected to.
Next year the projected cost for these services is $1,251,399.
Boyce said the district would be receiving some stimulus package money for special education expenses in the form of a 611 grant, which will provide about $619,000 over the course of two years.
The district should also be receiving about $458,000 in Title I funds aimed at students of low-income families.
Boyce said she would be continuing to review and analyze the existing programs and improve accountability, among other operations.
Lisa Dugan, a peer advocate with the Independent Living Center in Hudson, spoke briefly at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Education is the fundamental right of all citizens,” she told the board.
She said that Boyce was doing a good job. “She looks out for everybody,” she said.
Dugan told the BOE members that she was willing to meet with them to discuss how the district could save money by providing special education services within the district.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx please call 518-828-1616, ext. 2267, or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com.
By Andrew Amelinckx
HUDSON — A Hudson City School District budgetary meeting was held at Hudson High School Tuesday.
Barbara Boyce, director of student services for the district, discussed her department’s financial needs for the upcoming year, which mainly deal with special education issues.
Last year’s total budget for student services, including transportation, was about $5,700,000. No projected total for next school year was given at the meeting.
According to Daniel Barrett, the district’s business manager, transportation and student services represent about 20 percent of the district’s entire budget.
During the presentation, Boyce said that among her many duties is providing the best education possible for the district’s special needs students while looking for cost savings where possible.
Boyce said that the current number of special education students in the district was higher this year than in the two previous school years — from about 21 percent in the 2006-07 school year to 22.4 percent this year — and is projected to rise next year.
The projected staffing shows an increase of 2.4 teachers for the district, with kindergarten through second grade having a total of 5.6 full-time teachers this year, with another to be added next year.
There are currently 61 students, age three to five, in preschool special education. Twenty-four students entered kindergarten in 2008-09, with 39 entering next year.
Expenses for the 2007-08 school year were $119,315.
Gov. David Paterson has proposed that the state’s districts pick up 15 percent of the cost of pre-kindergarten special education beginning this upcoming budget year.
“It’s probably going to be increasing every year,” said BOE member Peter Rost at the meeting. Barrett agreed, suggesting that this was a way for the governor to “get his foot in the door” to shift the expenses from the state.
Boyce also discussed related special education services and projected expenses.
Speech therapy is expected to see an increase of 20 students needing this service, from 53 to 73.
In the area of social work and psychological counseling there is projected to be 15 less students in need of these services, while staffing numbers will remain the same, with some shifting within the different schools.
Physical therapy, which costs the district $5,300 a month and comes from the general reserve fund, is projected to have one less student needing this service, down from 28 students this year to 27 next year.
Boyce said she had contacted VTA Management Services, a private therapy agency, looking for more cost-effective ways to provide therapy.
A large part of the student services budget appears to come from BOCES Questar III services. These are shared special education services for students whose specialized needs can’t be met within the district, according to Boyce’s presentation.
Questar III provides instructional and support services, including special education, to 23 school districts with about 40,000 students in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties.
In 2006-07 the district spent $992,462 on these services. That number increased by $8,060 the next school year.
The 2008-09 school year has a projected $1,282,823 being spent on the BOCES programs, with a projected $1,419,172 for the upcoming school year.
The cost in these programs ranges between $30,000 and $50,000 per student age 5 to 21.
Boyce gave some examples of the services the district uses from Questar III and their costs.
The Program of Alternative Comprehensive Education costs about $53,509 per student, including related services.
The “highly structured program” serves students with “moderate to severe developmental delays and emotional/behavioral difficulties” and has a high staff to student ratio, according to the BOCES Web site.
Another service the district uses is the Challenge Intensive program, which costs $50,207 including related expenses per student. This program is a “highly structured and intensive educational option for students with emotional disabilities requiring significant behavioral management,” again according to the BOCES Web site.
The district also provides private placement to students whose special education needs can’t be met by the district or BOCES.
In 2008-09 the district budgeted $771,433 for these services but actually spent $1,167,282. According to Barrett, the gap between the projected and actual costs was due to the district having to serve several students that it hadn’t expected to.
Next year the projected cost for these services is $1,251,399.
Boyce said the district would be receiving some stimulus package money for special education expenses in the form of a 611 grant, which will provide about $619,000 over the course of two years.
The district should also be receiving about $458,000 in Title I funds aimed at students of low-income families.
Boyce said she would be continuing to review and analyze the existing programs and improve accountability, among other operations.
Lisa Dugan, a peer advocate with the Independent Living Center in Hudson, spoke briefly at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Education is the fundamental right of all citizens,” she told the board.
She said that Boyce was doing a good job. “She looks out for everybody,” she said.
Dugan told the BOE members that she was willing to meet with them to discuss how the district could save money by providing special education services within the district.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx please call 518-828-1616, ext. 2267, or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com.
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