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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The cost of educating children with disabilities is spiraling, forcing school districts to consider cutting programs for the state’s most challenged students.
Last month, the Lake Oswego School District cut 11 percent of its special education teachers — a decision which was greeted with disbelief by administrators of other districts, said Superintendent Bill Korach.
“They’re saying, ’Why in the world would you want to do this, because it’s so difficult,’ “ Korach said of some other superintendents who called.
Korach says he had no choice — he points out that while other programs had been slashed, the district’s special education budget had grown by 47 percent over the last five years.
The growing cost of educating Oregon’s 71,000 special education students is a phenomenon worrying educators nationwide.
“Special education has been squeezing out dollars from the general education program,” said Russell Allen, the business director for the Greater Albany School District, where the cost of special education has grown at four times the pace of the rest of the district’s budget.
That analysis worries Allan Solares, a Lake Oswego father to two disabled children, who fears that the public will begin to pit the needs of special education students against general students.
“It’d be very concerning if parents of general ed kids began to view special ed as taking away from them,” Solares said.
In the past five years in Oregon, the number of special education students has grown four times faster than the general student population.
The surge in cost of special education has been especially dramatic in the Portland-area: The North Clackamas School District saw a 71 percent rise in their special education budget over the last five years, while Centennial experienced a 95 percent jump during the same timeframe.
In spite of the growing burden, many districts have viewed special education programs as off-bounds — in part because of the fear of litigation.
“It’s very, very common for districts to get sued,” said Gene Evans, a spokesman with the Oregon Department of Education. “You either spend your money on your program or you spend your money on attorneys to deal with the lawsuits.”
Oregon educators say it’s time for a committee of lawmakers, school representatives and parents to study the issue of rising costs.
“It’s hard to get your arms around the answer of why,” said Nancy Latini, the department’s assistant superintendent for the Office of Student Learning and Partnerships. “But it’s a very worthwhile question.”
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonian.com
Last month, the Lake Oswego School District cut 11 percent of its special education teachers — a decision which was greeted with disbelief by administrators of other districts, said Superintendent Bill Korach.
“They’re saying, ’Why in the world would you want to do this, because it’s so difficult,’ “ Korach said of some other superintendents who called.
Korach says he had no choice — he points out that while other programs had been slashed, the district’s special education budget had grown by 47 percent over the last five years.
The growing cost of educating Oregon’s 71,000 special education students is a phenomenon worrying educators nationwide.
“Special education has been squeezing out dollars from the general education program,” said Russell Allen, the business director for the Greater Albany School District, where the cost of special education has grown at four times the pace of the rest of the district’s budget.
That analysis worries Allan Solares, a Lake Oswego father to two disabled children, who fears that the public will begin to pit the needs of special education students against general students.
“It’d be very concerning if parents of general ed kids began to view special ed as taking away from them,” Solares said.
In the past five years in Oregon, the number of special education students has grown four times faster than the general student population.
The surge in cost of special education has been especially dramatic in the Portland-area: The North Clackamas School District saw a 71 percent rise in their special education budget over the last five years, while Centennial experienced a 95 percent jump during the same timeframe.
In spite of the growing burden, many districts have viewed special education programs as off-bounds — in part because of the fear of litigation.
“It’s very, very common for districts to get sued,” said Gene Evans, a spokesman with the Oregon Department of Education. “You either spend your money on your program or you spend your money on attorneys to deal with the lawsuits.”
Oregon educators say it’s time for a committee of lawmakers, school representatives and parents to study the issue of rising costs.
“It’s hard to get your arms around the answer of why,” said Nancy Latini, the department’s assistant superintendent for the Office of Student Learning and Partnerships. “But it’s a very worthwhile question.”
———
Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonian.com
