Priorities deserve more time, thought

As the fourth quarter begins at school, we are already planning for next year.

We are fortunate the state has decided on forward funding and has given an increase of $4.3 million for special education students identified for intensive funding. The Mat-Su Borough School District is working to put together a budget to be approved by the school board and the Borough assembly. Teams comprised of community members, administration and staff worked on 10 separate groups: operations and maintenance, business services, small schools, high schools, elementary schools, middle schools, co-curricular activities, education support, instruction support and special education.

Each team put together three packages for each program, including Priority 1 (reduced by 10 percent), Priority 2 (status quo 100 percent), and Priority 3 (enhanced by 5 percent). The program-based budgeting committee spent a day presenting the packages to the school board, and after a mere 10 minutes of questioning the board voted to rank the packages.

It is here where the process falls apart. Program-based budgeting was designed to align the budget with board priorities and goals. However, looking at the preliminary rankings, this is inconsistent. How is it that co-curricular activities, which are optional, rank above education support, instruction support and special education, which is federally mandated?

Looking at the descriptions in the program packages, available at the district Web site, it is appalling the enhanced co-curricular package describes examples of “safety measures” as replacing football, wrestling and band equipment and maintaining fields. This apparently takes priority over school counselors, nurses, safety officers and special education teachers.

Most of the public testimony regarding the budget addressed special education funding needs. Preliminary estimates show the budget being funded through No. 27, leaving the middle school, special education and education support enhanced packages unfunded. This assumes, however, that the classified, certified and principals contracts can be settled for the amount estimated on the preliminary budget. Special education is ranked 13th for Priority 1, 23rd for Priority 2 and 29th for Priority 3. After listening to two sessions of public testimony, the board voted 4-3 to approve the budget without making any changes.

Special education funding is critical, not only for the success of students with disabilities, but for the impact it has on the school district. As the bar set by No Child Left Behind rises each year, the area many schools are not able to make adequate yearly progress in is in the subgroup of students with disabilities. An increase in special education funding as described in the enhanced budget package would benefit students with and without disabilities. Clerical assistants would allow special education teachers to spend valuable time teaching students with individual education plans and assist in the response to intervention process.

One resource teacher testified that she estimates 52 days of her school year are spent doing mandated paperwork and testing, an entire quarter that could be spent teaching. Additional training would be available to staff working with students with low incidence disabilities, such as autism. A behavioral specialist would assist with interventions for students who are emotionally or behaviorally challenged.

Discretionary funds for materials for specialized instruction would increase student learning. An additional resource specialist would work with new special education teachers, increasing our ability to recruit and retain qualified teachers for these hard-to-fill positions. These increases to special education impact student learning and progress toward state standards by which schools are measured and held accountable.

Kelly Lytle is a special education teacher in the Mat-Su Borough School District.