By Carmen McCollum, Times of Northwest Indiana
carmen.mccollum@nwi.com
Federal stimulus dollars will allow Indiana schools to use about $765 million with more flexibility than they currently are able to for Title I and special education programs, freeing up school-budget money for other purposes.
The great value to this area is that stimulus dollars are aimed at supporting students with reading deficits and other learning impediments, Merrillville Superintendent Tony Lux said.
And while it's good that supplemental programs will be enhanced with stimulus money, state funding for regular education programs for these students could be reduced.
MORE: See how much money school districts will get in Title I dollars and for special education.
"The latest state funding plan from the governor will put regular education programs in jeopardy, especially in school districts where there is the greatest percentage of disadvantaged students," Lux said Wednesday on the eve of the legislative special session in Indianapolis to work out a budget.
"The governor's plan supposedly calls for money to follow the students, but according to his plan, money does not follow the neediest students."
Several districts are identifying their plans for incoming dollars, which should be available in July.
Merrillville will see about $1.8 million for special education over the next two years and $704,000 in Title I funding. The special education funding for school districts flows directly to the special education cooperative to which they belong. For example, Merrillville belongs to the Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative, and it works closely with the district to develop programs for special education students.
According to Lux, as many as eight new teachers and 15 aides would be hired and likely retained, depending on the outcome of the special session.
The district will use its dollars to extend the school day with before- and after-school programs and extend the school year with summer school, as well as a 20-minute study session during lunch when students can munch on a sandwich and get help, he said.
"The whole point will be to give as much additional help to students as possible with additional staff. There's going to be a big emphasis on instructional software," Lux said.
In Crown Point, school officials said they will use a portion of the district's funds to transition, administering its own special education department.
The district announced in September it would withdraw from the cooperative in August 2010, employing all its own special education teachers and therapists and providing all its own services for 729 students in special education.
Jim Hardman, Crown Point's director of curriculum and instruction, said the district will get $302,000 for Title I and $1.6 million for special education. About half of that will be used to pay its annual fee to the co-op for the final year, with about $814,000 used toward start-up costs for its own program.
Gary schools initially were slated to receive $8.3 million in Title I funds, but $2.3 million of that money will be transferred out to six charter schools in the city that serve public school students.
Interim Superintendent Myrtle Campbell said the dollars will be spent transitioning its high schools to themed academies, incorporating seventh- and eighth-grade into the high school and training teachers.
In Portage, Deb Dudek, director of Title I and special student programs, said it will receive $871,000 over a two-year period for Title I and $900,000 for special education.
Portage will expand its Title I programs to the middle school. Dudek said the district will be able to hire some specialists to work with students, but they won't be able to sustain those new hires beyond the two-year stimulus money.
"Because of the circuit breaker, our projections tell us we'll have a $350,000 deficit in 2009-10 and a $1 million deficit in 2010-11. We just won't have the money to keep the new teacher-coaches we hire. But because we've had the coaches in place, what they will teach teachers will sustain students far longer than the two-year stimulus dollars," Dudek said.
The district formed a special education committee that determined safety and security as its No. 1 priority. Initiatives will include positive-behavior supports such as anti-bullying and diversity training, Superintendent Mike Berta said.
"We're looking at alternatives to suspension and expulsion, so we can keep our kids in school. We've also been involved in the study circles (introduced by the Northwest Indiana Race Relations Council), and one of our goals is to incorporate that process into the schools," he said.
In the Thornton Fractional Township District 215, which has two high schools serving Calumet City, Lansing, Lynwood and Burnham in Illinois, officials expect to see $1.2 million in special education funding and $700,000 in Title I monies.
Of 3,400 high school students, nearly 10 percent are in special education.
Superintendent Creg Williams said the district expects to hire three new teachers to strengthen its tutorial programs, focusing on students who need help in reading and math.