So one of my new years resolutions is to read at least one current article about Special Education weekly. Accessing the articles is really easy, I get emails with about 10 articles every day. The trick is finding one that I'm interested in. Also, these generally aren't studies or experiments, it's mostly just news about what's happening in the education of exceptional students (on both ends) across the nation.This article (Jan 9, 2011) is about a current debate over funding in SpEd preschool in Rochester, NY. Doug and I usually disagree about funding policies (at least, he's really good at playing devil's advocate) which makes this issue that much more interesting and thought-provoking.
Let me break the issue down (mostly for my sake).
Background: Wikipedia tells us that most preschools in the US are tuition based though it is common for counties to provide some preschool services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) declares that children with disabilities have a right to early intervention (preschool is one option). An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is written for these children as early as 3 years old (obviously the parents can refuse services). This means that once the child turns 3, goals are written for the child's progress AND related services are provided to meet those goals. The IEP is a legally binding document; therefore, there are legal consequences if the services are not provided.
Issue: New York has offered (and the counties have paid for) preschool for children (3-5yrs) with disabilities for over two decades (
). Monroe county (in Rochester) wants to discontinue funding this service because it is getting too expensive--14 million annually. According to the article, this financial responsibility was supposed to be shared with school the school districts; this obviously did not happen. They also say that the program is inefficient, there are few options for parents, and that the county does not have the power to make any changes.What I think: Discontinuing Special Education preschool is not an option. Disregarding that it would go against IDEA, removing SpEd preschool would be a great detriment to students with disabilities. These children are already at a disadvantage in the education world because learning does not come naturally to them. Preschool is meant to teach kids how to learn, expose them to the routine of school, and ease them into elementary school. In fact, in Monroe county, about 60% of SpEd preschool students will not need services once they reach elementary school (that's a red flag to me - if that's the case, they must be accepting students who do not need in
tensive intervention and probably would qualify for regular preschool anyway. Despite that, I do believe that preschool programs do much for children with disabilities).With that conclusion, if Monroe county is not going to pay for it, who should? I think parents should pay a subsidized cost (about equal to the cost of paying for regular preschool). Unfortunately, that cost is still really high (averaging around $6500/year/child - varying on length of day, quality of care, teacher:student ratio, etc). So, one solution is to provide parents with more options (not just public preschools). Namely: less expensive private schools; essentially, charter preschools. I really like the Parent Co-Op preschool alternative addressed in this article. This is where parents often volunteer in the preschool, decreasing the need for more teachers but increasing the demand on parents' time and involvement. The Co-Ops cost about $120/month or $1080/year. This would obviously require that Rochester set up a Co-Op which initially might be expensive, but I think in the long run, it would reduce the costs on Monroe county because parents would take their children to other preschools.
What do you think?
5 comments:
It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a spouse who disagrees with me on economic/political issues . . . and who likes to play devil's advocate! I don't know if this applies to you two, but I think people who have spent time working in schools on any level (I had an internship for a year as basically an assistant counselor), have different ideas about how to use funding (and are generally more in favor of keeping the money coming). I like the co-op idea a lot. It just would be hard for parents whose work schedules don't allow such intensive participation. But perhaps that could be worked out. I also worry about other issues with charter schools, such as accountability and potential segregation. But I really haven't done enough research on the issue. I'm glad someone is getting more involved. Go, you!
Charisse...this is such a good idea! I plan on doing it when I am finished researching/TAing/student teaching haha :)
what what what????!!! you have a blog?! how did i not know about this!
Well of course special educators believe cutting funding is not an option. Where else would they get their income? :) Speaking of which, I have found a job for you here in North Carolina, Charisse. -Douglas V.
It is unfortunate that there is not a high enough demand to incentivize a successful private option to come forward. While I am typically against public funded preschool (but I won't get too into that here) I can see how vital it is for there to be some "free" consultation available for families with special needs children. While IEPs could be set up with a public employee and effected by the children's parents, I fear that this would not be effective for many whom this program would have been organized to help. At the same time, I staunchly am against the idea that the government should be replacing parents in their responsibilities to raise children. The conundrum in my mind is to what extent are we comfortable replacing instead of supplementing the raising of children. Certainly there are many who care too little to invest themselves and their time in their children's well being (and unfortunately often more in the case of special needs children). I do not have an answer for this, but think it is an interesting point to raise, as though we dont hold the public responsible for the raising of children, but the public is left with the ramifications of a child illy raised.
Also, addressing the fiscal side of the argument, is this program worth 14 million that the government doesn't have? How high should this preschool funding be on the taxpayers' list? Will the absolution of the program cost the public more in the long run than that 14 million plus interest? Thou it is often uncomfortable to reduce it down to dollars and cents, it often is necessary to do.
In the mean time, it appears as though there are few people will to pay to fund these programs (tax payers and elected officials alike) and it seems as those who would be using these programs are not willing/able to pay for it else a private solution would exist. Perhaps Charisse you will be the one to bring such a private and fiscally reasonable alternative to the table. Charisse, I'm sure you could do this much better than the government could!
(nothing I said above is meant to offend anyone (except the government, who seems inept most of the time) but rather is meant to be a discussion of the issues Charisse raises. Charisse, thanks for these posts, they are very intriguing).
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