High
cost of special ed puts halt to new
schools
Monday, August 02,
2004 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey officials have
called for a temporary moratorium on any new special
education schools, hoping to stem the rising use of these
costly programs.
The moratorium went into
effect two weeks ago when state Education Commissioner
William Librera told districts the department would not
accept applications to establish any new private and public
special education schools for at least six
months.
Applications already in
the pipeline will not be affected.
Librera also announced
that teams of educators in each county would review special
education placements, starting in September, to determine
ways to potentially cut back the use of such outside
schools.
"Since special education
is the fastest growing part of any school budget, it is an
area where we must work to reduce costs as quickly as we
can," Librera wrote in a July 12 memo to
districts.
One in 10 New Jersey
students classified with disabilities -- some 20,000 overall
-- are served in specialized schools exclusively for
children with learning disabilities such as autism or
emotional disorders. That rate is by far the highest in the
nation. The costs per student in these 200 schools and
programs start at about $30,000 and can approach
$50,000.
The home districts of
those students pay the tuition for the specialized
schools.
"We are taking seriously
the fact that we have the highest rate of students in
segregated programs, and the numbers are not really
changing," said Isaac Bryant, assistant state commissioner
in charge of special education services.
"Nobody wants to beat up
on the disability community and use them as a scapegoat,"
Bryant said. "But at the same time, many people feel the
balance has gone the other way."
Special education costs
and specifically those for outside placements are sparking
new tensions within New Jersey school districts. Districts
have been especially strained because state funding for the
last three years has provided little or no aid increases to
cover these costs.
The true impact of the
moratorium is uncertain because the state typically approves
fewer than a half-dozen applications each year. And efforts
to control costs, the moratorium on new schools and
placements in general have won mixed reviews so
far.
Special education
advocates have generally cheered the announcement, saying it
could turn the tide toward serving more students within
their local schools with their nondisabled peers. Federal
special education law also presses districts to get students
into so-called "inclusion" settings as much as possible. But
one advocate said that with so many private schools, New
Jersey has instead bred a "culture of
segregation."
"This is something that we
and other parent advocates have been pushing for many
years," said Diana Autin , co-director of the Statewide
Parent Advocacy Network. "This is an important first step
for reducing the over-segregation of children with
disabilities in this state."
Not all advocates are
thrilled, worrying students and programs may suffer in the
quest to save money.
The high rate of students
in separate programs is "definitely a problem, but limiting
parental options is not the solution," said Renay Zamloot, a
parent advocate from Millburn. "We need to look at why
parents are making these decisions and why students, in some
cases, are being forced out of district. Just bringing
students back into district will not necessarily create
appropriate services and supports."
Of course, private schools
are not happy, and maintain their services are important for
districts that cannot provide their own
programs.
The Midland School in
Branchburg serves about 245 students from 85 districts with
a variety of disabilities, from autism to communication
disorders. It charges about $35,700 for a year-round
program.
"We're here because we are
needed, and that's why districts send us their kids," said
Philip Gartlan, the program's executive director and vice
president of the schools' state association. "And they keep
sending them. We're usually at full enrollment."
Districts are only
starting to digest the changes, "but clearly the state is
targeting more where kids are being placed," said Timothy
Hamway, director of special services for New Providence
schools.
Hamway said his district
has already been informed by the state in its monitoring
process that it has a higher rate of outside placements than
average, but argued that a small district like his doesn't
have the numbers to open up, say, a specialized program for
autism.
"It is expensive to send
them out, but there aren't many options," he said. "When you
are sitting down with a parent, you are not talking about
the cost of the placement, but that we can't provide the
program ourselves and that's why we need to go to
another."
John Mooney covers education. He can be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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