The school district has about $900,000 in one-time federal money
to put toward special education programs of their choice. But
trustees want to see district officials use that money to reduce
the long-term costs of the historically expensive program.
The school district has about $900,000 in one-time federal money to put toward special education programs of their choice. But trustees want to see district officials use that money to reduce the long-term costs of the historically expensive program.
In total, the Gilroy Unified School District received about $1.8 million in federal stimulus funds for special education. Half will make up for the shortfall of state funds and the other half – the chunk in question – will go to improving the program on a one-time basis.
After Director of Student Services Debbie Toups surveyed special education staff at all school sites, she recommended that trustees allocate $635,000 to professional development and the rest to purchasing instructional materials and technology.
But board members challenged district staff to put the money to use in a way that would eventually result in long-term savings. The district’s special education program requires $3.6 million in support from the district’s general fund, which goes mostly toward paying teachers’ salaries and benefits.
When educational institutions receive money, “the question is ‘Oh great! How do we spend it?’ as opposed to ‘How do we spend it to get the most value out of the buck we’re spending?'” trustee Tom Bundros said.
Although the board deferred the decision to their Dec. 10 meeting, asking Toups to come back with more details, they did approve another item Bundros requested be pulled from the consent agenda.
Trustees authorized the $425,000 contract with Tucci Learning Solutions, a private agency that provides the district with staff training, parent education and individualized instruction for 38 students with autism and other developmental disabilities. The district plans to eventually phase out direct support from Tucci by next school year, replacing their services with district employees qualified to address the special education students’ behavioral needs. Since 2007, the district has gradually scaled back its contract with Tucci.
