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... People don't get that IDEA says "appropriate" education, not the best education money can buy...
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Originally Posted by ocnjgirl
It is a joke to think districts make money from SPED kids. They may get a subsidy per pupil, but it doesn't nearly cover the expense of many of the kids. I was shocked to be honest when I started, to discover the things some parents got paid for (don't forget we are in a VERY entitled society now). If taxpayers really knew, they would be equally shocked. SPED kids get much, much more of the school budget percentage-wise then regular ed kids do.
I am thinking of a specific classroom in my former building. It has a full time special education teacher, with about a $40,000 salary and two full time teacher's aides each earning about $20,000. So, $80,000 in salary (not counting benefits for the three staff members) plus all of the children have speech therapy, two have occupational therapy and one has physical therapy (of course, the therapists see other kids, too). One of the children also has an adaptive communication system and sees that specialist once or twice a month.
If you added up just the salaries and benefits of the staff for that class it may be $200,000 and there are only four children in the class. Now, add computers, books, materials, special transportation, and just the normal expenses of any elementary student and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up costing the school district $60,000 or $70,000 for each of those students.
About 15 years ago I had a student with some serious health issues. He needed a special bus run just for him. I recall that this cost $160 a day. With 180 school days his transportation costs alone were $28,000 a year. He also had to have a private 1 to 1 nurse, hired by the school district, with him at all times. I have no idea how much that cost, but I bet that it was not cheap. And, all of this was before any costs related to his actual education.
The general population has absolutely no idea how expensive special education is for a school district.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-08-2015 at 07:38 PM..
There is funding from the state for special education. In my current district, they spend it on other things (despite the fact that this is illegal). It is different for each state, but a school psych, occupational therapist, speech therapist, etc.... do bring money into districts through qualifying kids for disabilities.
I remember seeing the breakdown for each specific disability, but I remember autism as being one of the higher funded categories.
Yes, the state gives districts money for special ed. Understanding Special Education Funding
There is funding from the state for special education. In my current district, they spend it on other things (despite the fact that this is illegal). It is different for each state, but a school psych, occupational therapist, speech therapist, etc.... do bring money into districts through qualifying kids for disabilities.
I remember seeing the breakdown for each specific disability, but I remember autism as being one of the higher funded categories.
Yes, the state gives districts money for special ed. Understanding Special Education Funding
Yes they give funding but it does not cover the costs. For my classroom alone, 6 kids, between staff, transportation, speech, and OT I'm guessing the district pays about 150k a year and that's just for what I listed not the other stuff.
SPED is not profitable and is only provided because it's required. Think back 20-30 years ago. Everyone didn't get to go to school. I personally have taught children who were tested at 3 and would not have been given a chance 20-30 years ago but when challenged they rose to the occasion and exceeded even their GedEd peers.
It has been my experience that the parents that have asked that their child be removed from special ed, or do not want their child to be assessed, are usually in major denial that their child has problems or delays or else they have absolutely no idea the skill levels of a typically developing child and think that their child is progressing well.
There is funding from the state for special education. In my current district, they spend it on other things (despite the fact that this is illegal). It is different for each state, but a school psych, occupational therapist, speech therapist, etc.... do bring money into districts through qualifying kids for disabilities.
I remember seeing the breakdown for each specific disability, but I remember autism as being one of the higher funded categories.
Yes, the state gives districts money for special ed. Understanding Special Education Funding
Did you not read this statement from your own link:
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On average, most states estimate that special education monies from the federal government make up less than 15%. This leaves the local school districts scrambling to fund the remaining costs of mandated special education services.
Local school district, not state. The last figures available for who pays for the cost above the average pupil expenditure for special education breaks down to local - 46%, state - 45%, and federal - 9%. The last average I could find on above cost expenditure per special ed student was 2.08. So if it cost $10,000 to educate any child it would cost $20,800 on average to educate a special ed student. The the combination of state and local would pay the first $10,000 as they would for any child. The breakdown of the extra $10,800 would be as follows: local - $4,968, state - $4,860, and federal - $972. It cost local districts more than any other entity to educate a special ed child. It is not in their financial interest to have kids labeled special ed.
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My god I've had such a hard time with the same issue. What do I do? We want our daughter to be in a regular classroom with an assistant and they insist on sending her to a severely cognitive delayed classroom. My child cries and emotionally it's hurting her but what do I do? They will not listen to me and if I insist they ignore me. The only delay my daughter has is that she has been out of school for seven years without no one caring. Last year I spent the whole year begging them to get her in and they told me that they had way too many other children to worry about. I registered her and they told me that they would just refund my money. This year they placed her in special ed. She is so miserable. What do I do? Do I just ignore her emotions? She is bright she is ten years old, she knows multiplication, fractions, divisions, reads, writes. She writes very beautiful her handwriting is so perfect and she feels proud of it. She is however, very hurt to be in special ed. Every one I talk to turns their face the other way. What has become of this country and the educational system. Can someone help me please? Thank you so much.
I didn't read the whole thread but I had that problem with my son and we got him into the regular curriculum.
We had to fight. You might need an advocate. You need to know the laws and the rights of your child. Legally she is entitled to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.
In our case, if the school had done what I nicely asked them to do, then there wouldn't have been so many problems. When we had to become aggressive about it, they had to comply and provide what the law requires. We would have been happy if they had listened to our reasonable request. I just wanted regular class for him and not special and expensive measures. They really screwed up and so we had to put the screws to them. The law was on our side but they wanted to disregard that because they thought we were ignorant. My advocate was itching to take legal action. He wanted to bring in the big guns.
We knew what our son was capable of and we had proof that could not be denied. Sometimes parents can't view their children's problems clearly. I was guilty of that in areas and I learned to accept that but I knew one thing for sure, and I was right.
Special ed was ruining my child. He still had an IEP and RSP but lots of kids have that and it is not a big deal. I can't speak about your daughter, because I don't know her but this was my experience. Special ed, is not ed, though it is special.
Mainstreaming is just having someone sit in the classroom without being taught. It is just a gesture, not education. Don't be fooled by that.
My son had an aid for a time, and then he was fine on his own once he reached high school.
He graduated with his class fair and square...They said he couldn't do it. We said he could, and he did....
Everybody is different. He needed that environment because he had to be challenged. If he wasn't challenged he didn't try hard. If he didn't try hard then he didn't learn anything. It is better to be taught and absorb what you can then to not be taught at all.
Every child is different. What is right for one child, is not right for another. You have to do the work too. If that means 6 hours of homework each night, you have to be there helping.
Last edited by Veronicka; 09-15-2016 at 05:07 AM..
My god I've had such a hard time with the same issue. What do I do? We want our daughter to be in a regular classroom with an assistant and they insist on sending her to a severely cognitive delayed classroom. My child cries and emotionally it's hurting her but what do I do? They will not listen to me and if I insist they ignore me. The only delay my daughter has is that she has been out of school for seven years without no one caring. Last year I spent the whole year begging them to get her in and they told me that they had way too many other children to worry about. I registered her and they told me that they would just refund my money. This year they placed her in special ed. She is so miserable. What do I do? Do I just ignore her emotions? She is bright she is ten years old, she knows multiplication, fractions, divisions, reads, writes. She writes very beautiful her handwriting is so perfect and she feels proud of it. She is however, very hurt to be in special ed. Every one I talk to turns their face the other way. What has become of this country and the educational system. Can someone help me please? Thank you so much.
Public school is free. What money was who giving back? You would have had to agree and sign for her to have started SPED. You say she's been out of school but she's only 10. That would be 4th or 5th grade.
My god I've had such a hard time with the same issue. What do I do? We want our daughter to be in a regular classroom with an assistant and they insist on sending her to a severely cognitive delayed classroom. My child cries and emotionally it's hurting her but what do I do? They will not listen to me and if I insist they ignore me. The only delay my daughter has is that she has been out of school for seven years without no one caring. Last year I spent the whole year begging them to get her in and they told me that they had way too many other children to worry about. I registered her and they told me that they would just refund my money. This year they placed her in special ed. She is so miserable. What do I do? Do I just ignore her emotions? She is bright she is ten years old, she knows multiplication, fractions, divisions, reads, writes. She writes very beautiful her handwriting is so perfect and she feels proud of it. She is however, very hurt to be in special ed. Every one I talk to turns their face the other way. What has become of this country and the educational system. Can someone help me please? Thank you so much.
You may want to start a new thread for yourself.
Why did she miss so much school? She's 10 and never went to kindergarten at 5?
Is this a private school you registered her at? I would suggest that public school would most likely work better as many private schools do not accommodate special needs.
If it is a public school she is entitled to FAPE (free and appropriate public education).
Does she have a diagnosis? Is she cognitively delayed or just delayed because of having missed so much? She may still need special education services to help her catch up, but she should not necessarily need a special ed classroom. She most likely would not be mainstreamed with an aide as that is not the least restrictive environment even though you think it might be. She could be in a regular classroom with pullouts for the academics she needs help with though.
If your zip is correct you are in the Aurora, IL area. I may be able to point you to some facebook groups that may help. Get an advocate who can help you get through the school system. The advocate may cost you money, but if s/he is good, it will be worth it.
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