The closing of eight staffed residential homes in the Shoreline School District will eventually impact funding the district anticipated receiving for a pilot program with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The pilot project, called the Staffed Residential Home pilot program, spans two school years. Grant funding the district expects to receive this year will not be affected, but funding anticipated for next year likely will be, say sources.
“The fact that the school year is nearly complete while the change is happening probably means there will be little to no impact in terms of how much grant funding would go to the Shoreline district,” said Jennifer Priddy, OSPI assistant superintendent for K-12 finance, about funding for the 2006 school year.
It is estimated each special needs student will be allotted $17,000 per school year, Priddy said, adding that the final allocation for this year’s grant distribution has yet to be finalized. Funding is based on how any districts meet eligibility requirements in the state statute. Funding the district receives next year is dependent on the number of placements at that time, she said.
Based on a one-month “snapshot” of data gathered in January, the Shoreline School District had the second highest concentration of staffed residential home students per thousand, Priddy said.
The monetary impact is not necessarily negative, however, as there will be fewer special needs children requiring special education classes in the district. The homes, operated by Fodor Homes in Lake Forest Park, served primarily autistic children, the majority of whom were enrolled in special education courses throughout district schools.
In March, the budget agreed to by the House and Senate included $3 million over the 2006-07 school years for the pilot program. The intent of legislators was to address school districts with a high concentration of students living in group homes.
The funding for the pilot program comes in the form of a block grant from OSPI, and the amount of funding for each district is in proportion to the concentration of group homes.
It was anticipated that the Shoreline School District would receive about $1 million over the two-year period of the pilot program, sources previously stated, as special education classes cost the school district $1.2 million during the past two years.
Senator Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, who worked for money in the Senate budget to address the issue, said for the 2006 school year, the district will receive about $500,000 from OSPI.
“Then next year, we don’t know,” Fairley said. “We will see if we meet requirements.”
The School District will continue to serve about one half of the children formerly placed at Fodor Homes, said District spokeswoman Marjorie Ledell, as many of the children were relocated within the district. The nine staffed residential homes served between 25-35 special needs children. One home will continue to operate, but will be limited to a maximum of four children.
Fewer special education students will translate into fewer staff needed for such programs, she added.
“This does not mean fewer staff employed by the district,” Ledell said. “They may be placed elsewhere.”
As for the district’s budget, it will not be adjusted until numbers are solidified.
“We won’t make any adjustment until we know the specific dollars,” Ledell said about the budget. “It definitely will be positively affected, but we don’t know by how much.”
The pilot project requires districts to develop, in conjunction with the group homes, a plan for collaboration, information sharing and an individualized student plan, which includes regular communication on each child’s progress.
An annual progress report will measure progress toward meeting educational needs of students and provide information and data to OSPI.
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