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Funding Challenges for Residential Treatment Facilities in Georgia

This presentation discusses the funding issues faced by residential treatment facilities in Georgia and proposes solutions to better support the educational needs of children and adolescents in state custody.

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Funding Challenges for Residential Treatment Facilities in Georgia

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  1. Education Funding CommissionPresentationToSubcommittee Number 3By Residential Treatment FacilitiesSeptember 2012

  2. WHO ARE WE? Georgia facilities which provide comprehensive behavioral health services to children and adolescents • Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities ("PRTF") • Room Board and Watchful Oversight ("RBWO")

  3. WHO ARE WE?(Cont.) In addition to behavioral health services, we provide: • Housing • Educational needs • Children receive education in our facilities because they cannot be served in local schools • They receive instruction in nationally accredited schools or programs • Social skills and independent living skills

  4. LOCATED STATEWIDE • There are 20 residential treatment facilities

  5. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2011-2012 Approved Residential Facilities Served Under O.C.G.A 20-2-133 *These Residential Treatment Facilities are served as “programs”. Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent September 15, 2011 * Page 1 of 1

  6. WHO WE SERVE? • Children in state custody • Department of Human Services (Division of Family and Children Services) • Department of Juvenile Justice • Privately placed children • Annually, facilities serve • RBWO - • PRTF -

  7. AVERAGE LENGTHS OF STAY • Children and adolescents are in PRTF an average of 120 days • RBWO children have an average lengths of stay of ___

  8. TYPES OF CHILDREN • Children who are neglected, unruly, delinquent or have behavioral health issues • Children who have numerous foster care family placements prior to their placement with a facility • Varying ages by facility, up to age 21 for some • Children with numerous learning issues, generally two grades behind their peers

  9. HOW ARE WE CURRENTLY FUNDED? • Through "QBE" with money paid to "LEAs" • Through a non-quality basic education formula grant, "SB 618 grant" • Title I dollars • Private donations

  10. WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS? • Residential treatment facilities are not funded sufficiently to meet educational instruction costs of children • Facilities do not have their own "QBE" weight • Children do not always arrive with an "IEP" • SB 618 grants are not sufficient to fund a the local share of the total cost of education and can be cut at any time • SB 618 grants are not based on actual costs, and formula is not transparent and has changed annually • Student counts occur twice per year and do not capture transient nature of students

  11. OUR IDEAS FOR SOLUTIONS: • Create a new category and appropriate weight in "QBE" to more closely align with these children's needs • Address "IEP" requirement so that a determination of a child's need for placement in a residential treatment facility equates to an IEP • Sufficiently fund SB 618 "grants" program to cover the full local share of the cost of education *DOE proposed moving facilities to the "SED" program budget category, but programs in this category are not eligible for Title I and the level of funding could remain inadeqaute

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