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SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY

RESTRUCTURING IMPACT ANALYSIS

Program Impact
The District will increase its continuum of service options within District buildings in a
planned manner, improve its compliance with Least Restrictive Environment, and begin to
move its program model toward current best practice expectations of inclusion.

Approximately 80 students are projected to be served in a more included educational


environment within D89 schools as opposed to being outsourced to PAEC and programs
housed in other public school settings.

The most severely impacted students, approximately 20, will continue to receive services
in a therapeutic day placement either by PAEC (on a tuition basis) or by an ISBE
approved private provider.

The proportion of D89 students in separate school placements is between 13% and 16%.
If restructured, students served out of district will be reduced from 13-16% of students
placed to an estimated 4-6%.

Approximately 10 new classrooms will be opened in existing District school buildings.

IEP Teams will have increased options for including individual students in general
education programming on a case by case basis, consistent with best practice and IDEA's
preference for inclusion.

District 89 will improve its supervision and control of special education programming.

District employees will conduct or be involved in all IEP team meetings.

The District will have immediate access to all special education student data and
temporary records. Currently PAEC maintains such information for all District special
education students, irrespective of where or by whom services are delivered.

The District will have the ability to conduct program visits and monitor program
implementation whenever deemed necessary.

The District can better ensure its policies and forms comply with federal and State law
mandates and are updated on a timely basis.

Truancy interventions can be initiated and monitored for those students who qualify as
"chronic truants.

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY


RESTRUCTURING IMPACT ANALYSIS

Staff Impact
District 89 will reduce its administrative overhead costs significantly.

District Proposed Special Education Administrative Structure: Director of Student


Services, Assistant Director of Student Services, Administrator of Special Programs and
Claims Manager

PAEC Administrative Structure: Director of Special Education, Assistant Director of


Special Education, Business Manager, and Principal and Assistant Principal in each of its
4 special education buildings and two Technical Supervisors. PAEC also maintains
Supervisors in districts other than D89.

Additional instructional and support staff will be needed, but at an estimated overall cost
savings to the District of $ 1.2 million.

10 new teachers

10.5 new related service staff (3 Behavior Specialists, 1.5 SLP, 1 SW, 1 OT, 1 PT, 1
Music Therapist, 1 Adaptive PE/PE Teacher and 1 School Certified Nurse.)

15 program Aides (to account for class size regulations.)

Administrator of Special Program to assist in supporting consistency in special education


programming across buildings, supporting IEP teams, running IEP meetings for the 80
students and integrating returning PAEC students into the District.

Special Education Claims Coordinator will support the additional budgeting and
reimbursement claims associated with the return of IDEA grants, Medicaid, etc.

Many existing resources will be relied upon to assist in integrating services to former
PAEC students and the District.

The current Director of Student Services (Holding a Director of Special Education License
#180) and the Assistant Director of Special Education will develop and oversee
implementation of necessary staff training and parent outreach.

The existing resources of Human Resources (HR) Department will be utilized to support
new staff needs and HR functions.

The Business Office structures that support benefits, payment and other financial needs
will continue to support the program needs of the Students returned from PAEC and staff.

Current building level custodial and clerical staff is anticipated to be adequate.

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY


RESTRUCTURING IMPACT ANALYSIS

No additional structures would need to be built in order to support handicapped accessible


programming for students who would return to D89.

Transportation

Transportation services would continue to be outsourced, via bid, but would be managed
and communicated with via District staff. This allows for close communication with
families.

Students who do not need Specialized Transportation will have the opportunity to walk to
school with their siblings or neighborhood friends.

Budget Impact
D89 will have increased ability to control for costs.

PAEC programs are proposed to increase 8.8% for the FY '14 budget. While in-district
costs will increase as well, the costs can be controlled and estimated in-house and spread
across all district services.

D89 paid a total of $2,993,259.00 to PAEC for FY 2013. This is in addition to Federal and
State grants or reimbursements retained by PAEC. These funds are comprised of:

$1.1 million in IDEA grant funds,

$25,000 in IDEA Pre-School Funds

$1.3 million in transportation reimbursement, and

$275,000 in Medicaid reimbursements applicable to all District students who receive


claimable services, whether or not the student attends PAEC.

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY


RESTRUCTURING IMPACT ANALYSIS

In the last two years, PAEC has passed through to the District less than 5% of the District's
total IDEA grant amount. None of the IDEA Preschool Flow-Thru dollars have been passed
through to the District although the District provides 100% of its preschool programming.
Fiscal Year

IDEA FlowThru Grant

IDEA
Preschool
Flow-Thru

Total Grant
Dollars

District
IDEA
Grant
Allocation

% of Total IDEA
Grant

2013

$1,156,606

$25,253

$1,181,859

$8,554

<1%

2014

$1,091,787

$26,730

$1,118,517

$44,760

4%

$1,235,011.00 is projected to be saved in the first year if PAEC Students and programming
is returned to full District 89 control.

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