Special Education May 17, 2016

Agenda

The Issue

Financial Impact

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

Steps We Are Taking

Path Forward

2

The Issue

Path Forward

Financial Impact

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

Steps We Are Taking

3

Combined the Deficit Drivers will take up 1/3 of Unrestricted General Fund revenues by 2020-21

24% 33%

2015-16 2020-21

The Big Picture = Big Impact

Rising

Fixed

Costs

CO

MP

RE

SS

IO

N

4

General Fund Contribution to Special Education

2015-16 2020-21

The General Fund contribution to Special Education will take up 20% of Unrestricted General Fund revenues by 2020-21

16% 20% 5

Issues and Challenges

Over-Identification

Students do not Exit Program 6

Inadequate Funding

Why is Special Education a Fiscal Priority?

LAUSD serves one of the largest populations of students with disabilities in the nation

Average cost to educate a student with disabilities is

$8,275 more

than a General Ed (G.E.) Student

72,973 The number of students with

disabilities served by LAUSD

7

Financial Impact

Path Forward

The Issue

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

Steps We Are Taking

8

Trends in Funding

9 Special Education is an underfunded mandate

# of Students with Disabilities

Severity of Disability

Type of Placement

Current $ system does not recognize student need

No Linkage to Important Cost Factors

10

Special Education Expenditures Funding Source FY 2015-16 Based on Second Interim Projections (2P)

Unrestricted General Fund Covers Over 60% of Costs

Amounts in $ millions

Contribution - GF Unrestricted,

$930

State Special Ed Revenue, $342

Federal Special Ed Revenue,

$93

Other, $151

Estimated Excess Cost Per Student with Disabilities

$11,798

$8,275

$20,073

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

Estimated Excess Cost Per Student

EstimatedExcess CostPer Student

General Ed PerStudent Cost

Special Ed PerStudent Cost

IDEA should cover a

significant portion of these costs

11

Share of Total District Students with Disabilities is Increasing

12

2002-03 2015-16

737,739

528,066

84,819 72,973 11.5% 13.8%

Share of Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities is Increasing

13

2002-03 2015-16

84,819 72,973

18,722 23,027 22.1% 31.6%

Over Identification

14

In FY14-15, 1 out of every 38 General education student was referred for an initial assessment for special education

86% of over 12,000 students referred for an initial

assessment were found eligible for special education services

Disproportionality and Placement

15

In 2013-14, LAUSD was found disproportionate in the placement of African-American students in segregated settings

We are likely to be determined to be disproportionate in the next few years unless there is a paradigm shift in how we educate African-American students, particularly males in our schools

District is currently required to fund Coordinated Early Intervening Services

Exiting and Transitioning from Special Education

16

Most students identified for special education never exit the program…

Students in early childhood programs tend to exit special education services at a higher rate than K-12 students with disabilities

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

Path Forward

The Issue

Financial Impact

Steps We Are Taking

17

Recommendations by the IFRP

18

Avoid Over-

identification Track student

trends Establish Exit Strategies

Steps We Are Taking

Path Forward

The Issue

Financial Impact

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

19

Addressing Adequate Funding

20

Realignment for Greater Effectiveness

21

Current Efforts to Address Over-Identification

Realigned staff from central office to each LD to support intervention and prevention work

Development of a Student Support and Progress Team (SSPT)

Accelerated Learning Academies (ALA) for select K-3 programs to identify students at-risk for being non-readers

1

3

2 Regular reports created to identify referrals for assessment

22

Alleviating Disproportionate Identification and Placement

Division of Special Education created reporting structures to monitor referrals, assessments, and IEP data

Reports identify students by grade, gender, and ethnicity to ensure that students are not being referred, assessed and

placed in restrictive settings due to factors such as ethnicity.

Assessments and IEPs of African American students initially identified for special education services undergo peer reviews to ensure that all proper policies and practices were implemented

Parent trainings (408 schools in SY 2015-2016) focus on referral, assessment, and placement procedures.

1

3

2

23

Current Exiting Strategies

Division of Special Education created reporting structures to monitor referrals, assessments, and IEP data

Assist school teams in determining when a student is ready for reintegration into general education.

Models of integration/inclusion Preschool for All Learners (PAL) better prepare preschoolers for integration to general education TK or K programs.

1

2 24

Path Forward

Steps We Are Taking

The Issue

Financial Impact

Independent Financial Review Panel Recommendations

25

Resource Alignment and Support

Realignment and Allocation of Resources

Continuous Advocacy

26

Expansion of Prevention/Intervention Efforts

82 additional PAL classrooms by repurposing resources to provide intensive instruction for preschoolers with special needs (increasing number of hours of instruction from 10 hours a week to approximately 22 hours per week).

All District schools starting in 2016-2017 will implement SSPT to assist in expanding the use of effective tools and strategies such as the Accelerated Learning Academy (ALA) and the Mobile Learning Academies (MLA - summer programs)

Building Upon Success

27

Inclusion and Integration

We are working with Local Districts to replicate programs that parents are accessing outside the District at District expense.

28

Effective Exit Strategies

Expand Exit/Transition Pilot to 18% of

all District schools.*

Training modules will be developed to support schools to implement Learning Centers at elementary schools using existing staff and parents

Develop procedures for appropriate exiting and transitioning of students with disabilities.

* a statistically significant number by research standards. 29

Our Considerations

Our focus is on programmatic opportunities that lead to fiscal stability

Ongoing Advocacy for State and Federal Funding Reform

Expansion of Prevention/Intervention Efforts

Support Local District efforts to innovate and offer alternatives to non-public restrictive settings

Implement Effective Exit Strategies 30

Discussion

31