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Financing Special Education in New Jersey Sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association

Financing Special Education in New Jersey Sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association. By Mari Molenaar, Ed.D. and Michael Luciano. Funding Recommendations. Fully fund $1.9 billion in excess costs Provide $171 million more in aid now Set a single state funding rate

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Financing Special Education in New Jersey Sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association

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  1. Financing Special Education in New JerseySponsored by theNew Jersey School Boards Association By Mari Molenaar, Ed.D. and Michael Luciano

  2. Funding Recommendations • Fully fund $1.9 billion in excess costs • Provide $171 million more in aid now • Set a single state funding rate • No extraneous factors in aid (e.g., poverty)

  3. Educational Recommendations • Invest in Professional Development • General Ed. Teacher Training on Special Ed. • Intervention and Referral Services • Multi-Sensory Phonics Based Reading • Instructional Aides Training

  4. Analysis of Data • NJ Department of Education • 2005 Audit Summary • Application for State School Aid • Annual Data Reports from OSEP • Survey of Districts - 51% return rate • 34 District Visits • 24 Exemplary programs identified

  5. Findings • Special education programs costs in NJ are over $3.3 billion per year • SE per pupil costs are $16,081 • GE per pupil costs are $10,077 • SE costs 1.6 times GE student Source: 2005 Audit Summary

  6. Source: 2005 Audit Summary

  7. Cost Drivers • Tuition for out-of-district schools • Transportation to out-of-district schools • Federal and State mandates • Preschool autism programs • Related Services increases • (speech, counseling, occupational and physical therapy) • Resource programs (in-class; pullout)

  8. Separate School Tuition Rates * Public Separate School Types Sources: Telephone survey of public separate schools, Annual Data Report and Approved private school tuition rates • Educational Services Commissions • Special Services School Districts • Regional Day Schools

  9. Staffing Trends 1995-2005 • 1995: 7 students to each SE staff member • 2005: 5 students to each SE staff member • Special ed. preschool teachers doubled • Resource teachers up 70% • Related services up 25% • (speech, counseling, occupational and physical therapy) Source: Annual Data Reports to NJ Office of Special Ed. Programs

  10. Shared Services Current Shared Services: • Transportation • Child Study Team services • Related service providers • Classes for low incidence disabilities • Professional development • Transportation and scheduling • Coordination among programs • Allocation of costs among districts Impediments to further sharing:

  11. Revenue Sources SE Share of GE Aid 4% SE Aid 28% Extraordinary Fed IDEA 57% 2% Local Taxes 9% Not Shown: Medicaid Reimbursement 0.03% Source: 2005 Audit Summary

  12. Trends in Funding Tiers 2000-2004

  13. Aid for Extraordinary Costs Source: Application for State School Aid

  14. Federal Funding Formula Base: IDEA Aid from 1996-1997 Census: Enrollment of all students Poverty: Number of students receiving free or low cost lunched Source: Office of Special Education Programs

  15. Comparison of Poverty Rates Special Ed. vs. General Ed. Special Ed. Poverty Rate: 23.7% General Ed. Poverty Rate: 20.1% Difference: 3.6%

  16. Funding Issues • State aid funds only 34% of SE expenditures • State aid was frozen at $978 million for 4 years • Transportation aid was frozen for 7 years • Federal covers only 9% of SE expenditures • Local property taxes pay 57% of SE costs

  17. District Visits Perspective of the Directors of Special Services

  18. Exemplary Programs

  19. Financing Special Education in New Jersey www.njsba.org/specialeducation Mari Molenaar, Ed.D. and Michael Luciano

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