Special education is the third rail of the educrats. Touch it—i.e., say anything negative about it—and you die from vicious comments by parents of special ed students who want, understandably, everything they can get for their child. Well, here goes.
The typical student costs Cheshire about $11,000 a year. Special ed costs an average of about $50,00 a year. The CT Department of Education sets the rules and requirements for special ed. State mandates run up local BOE budgets.
But Cheshire has gotten ahead of the spending curve in special ed. It has developed a reputation for doing so much for special ed students that it has become a magnet for families of special-need students. A small percentage of the student population account for spending a large part of our annual education budget.
Connecticut reimburses Cheshire for most of its special ed spending. But with the state facing bankruptcy, reimbursement is going to be reduced, for certain. Cheshire taxpayers won’t be able to sustain a no-increase budget, let alone a five-percent increase. Seniors living on fixed income can’t handle that. They haven’t had children in the school system for 30 or 40 years, but they’re still paying for the school system, including special ed services required by the state.
Our delegation to the General Assembly should look at reducing state mandates in this area.
I saw some of the Special Ed costs on Tonys blog. Seems like many teachers and studuents i know go into special ed. They are following the money. Thanks for reading.
Special education is the third rail of the educrats. Touch it—i.e., say anything negative about it—and you die from vicious comments by parents of special ed students who want, understandably, everything they can get for their child. Well, here goes.
ReplyDeleteThe typical student costs Cheshire about $11,000 a year. Special ed costs an average of about $50,00 a year. The CT Department of Education sets the rules and requirements for special ed. State mandates run up local BOE budgets.
But Cheshire has gotten ahead of the spending curve in special ed. It has developed a reputation for doing so much for special ed students that it has become a magnet for families of special-need students. A small percentage of the student population account for spending a large part of our annual education budget.
Connecticut reimburses Cheshire for most of its special ed spending. But with the state facing bankruptcy, reimbursement is going to be reduced, for certain. Cheshire taxpayers won’t be able to sustain a no-increase budget, let alone a five-percent increase. Seniors living on fixed income can’t handle that. They haven’t had children in the school system for 30 or 40 years, but they’re still paying for the school system, including special ed services required by the state.
Our delegation to the General Assembly should look at reducing state mandates in this area.
I saw some of the Special Ed costs on Tonys blog. Seems like many teachers and studuents i know go into special ed. They are following the money. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDelete