District
retains autistic pupils
Belvidere saves about $100,000 with move.
Thursday, August 19, 2004 • By KATHERINE BLOK
• The Express-Times
BELVIDERE -- Beginning in September, the Belvidere
School District will have its own class for autistic
students.
Students were previously sent outside the district at a
cost of about $50,000 each, said school Business
Administrator Ron Rush. A third student, who has left the
district, was in a program that cost $80,000, Rush
said.
The district will hire a teacher to instruct the two
autistic students.
Superintendent Jean Atkin Gool said the position has
been advertised inside the school district. Responses to the
advertisement will determine whether or not the district
will need to hire a new special education teacher, Gool
said.
Though the autistic program will save the district about
$100,000, there is an alternate motivation for bringing the
program to Belvidere, Gool said.
"It's better for our students to be in our schools," she
said.
Gool said she plans to use the money the district is
saving with the new autism program to hire two new teachers
-- one for science and a second for social studies. The
district needs to hire a new Spanish teacher which was
included in the 2004-05 budget.
A new health and physical education teacher was also
hired Wednesday. Maximillian Siu will also be an assistant
football coach. The position was previously offered to
George Middaugh, who declined the offer, Gool said.
Reporter Katherine Blok can be reached at 908-475-8044 or
by e-mail at kblok@express-times.com.
Copyright 2004
The Express-Times. Used with permission.
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