District Administration - January 2012 - (Page 36)

The Pendergast (Ariz.) Elementary School District outsources for special ed therapists. Above, Lead Clinician Aidelisa Lopez-Carraso, left, Assistant Superintendent Paul McDonald and Special Education Director Melissa McCusker review the staffing needs. the U.S. Department of Education or state legislatures,” Osborne says. School district administrators, he continues, are left to carry the burden. At the same time, schools are absorbing a generation of students who were born prematurely. Whereas only 1 in 10 would have survived just a few decades ago, the rate has surged—thanks to medical advances—to 9 out of 10 today, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. That organization predicts that as many as half of those children will face problems in their physical or mental development and will likely need special education services in school. Outsourcing, the Final Frontier What’s a district to do? One recent answer has been to outsource a growing number of special education services in what could be considered the final frontier of an accelerating cost-savings movement that has seen districts place transportation, cafeteria and janitorial services in the hands of outside providers. “It’s not widespread yet,” NASET’s Giuliani says of outsourcing special education services, “but it’s becoming a way of doing things that used to be unheard of.” Two years ago, facing the loss of $5.8 million—or 80 percent—of its state funding for the 2010-2011 academic year, 36 January 2012 South Orange/Maplewood’s Osborne took the controversial step of outsourcing the jobs of the 76 special education aides at the district’s nine schools. He points out that he was dealing with personnel different from the janitors, food service workers and cafeteria aides, and even computer repair technicians that the district was already hiring through outside contractors. “We did this with trepidation because this service goes through the classroom door,” Osborne says. “It’s a lot closer to our core mission. Parents in our special education community protested the move and picketed the meeting at which we presented our proposals.” South Orange/Maplewood outsourced the positions to the Essex Regional Special Services Commission, a nonprofit collaborative that provides a variety of services to 10 surrounding districts, including South Orange/Maplewood. Under the new arrangement, which now saves the district $1.5 million annually, the replaced aides reapplied for their positions, but without benefits and with a reduction in hours from 40 to 30. “We made the decision at a time of incredible financial duress,” Osborne explains. “I still regret the degree to which finances had an impact on these employees, who are some of the lowest paid in the district. I honestly don’t know how healthy it is in the long run to have such a large class of employees without benefits, but given the economic realities we’re facing, this is one of many things we did to stay strong.” The neighboring Montclair (N.J.) School District, as well as the Amesbury Public Schools and Newburyport Public Schools in Massachusetts, also have outsourced their special education aides over the past year. Buying the Complete Package Some school districts are going further than that, electing to outsource their entire special education programs. Last year, double-digit annual increases in special education costs prompted the Pendergast (Ariz.) Elementary School District outside of Phoenix to hire an outside provider to cover all of the special education services provided at its 14 schools. After receiving 22 proposals, the district settled on Futures Education, a forprofit company based in Springfield, Mass., that provides all physical, speech and language, and occupational therapists. Futures, along with other for-profits such as Progressus Therapy in Tampa, Fla., and Total Educational Solutions in Pasadena, Calif., has become a leading destination for districts looking to outsource special Continued on page 53 education positions. District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2012

District Administration - January 2012
Contents
Letters
News Update
Conversations
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Finding the Perfect Fit
Kansas City Plots Next Steps
Seeking Savings in Special Ed
K12 Guide to Audio/Visual Solutions
Equipping Teachers to Infuse Technology
Flipped Classrooms Gaining Ground
Buying in Bulk
Online Identity Management
Going Mobile
Student Counsel
Online Edge
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Professional Opinion

District Administration - January 2012