Special Education Department FY 08 Budget Proposal

1. Special Education Department FY 08 Budget Proposal January 25, 2007

2. Nashoba Special Education The goal of the Special Education Department is to deliver excellent services to our students with disabilities while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

3. Nashoba Special Education • NRSD educates more and more of our children with severe disabilities within the district. • NRSD maintains a very low number of out of district placements. • All of our NRHS graduating class special education students have passed MCAS. • No BSEA hearings have been requested in FY 07. • No complaints have been filed with the DOE in FY 07. • Special Education is operating well within the current budget.

4. Nashoba Special Education The Special Education Department developed the proposed budget by: • Trying to anticipate the needs of our students. • Meeting with the principal of each school as well as the Director of the Technology Department. • Considering budget requests from our special education staff. • Reviewing the current budget. • Seeking efficiencies.

5. Nashoba Special Education Line by line comparison • SPED Legal Expenses – Level request • SPED Transportation – $26,150 increase includes 4% contractual increase to McCarthy Transportation • Home/Hospital Tutoring – $5,600 decrease in expected expenditures • Contractual Services-Ther/Evals – Level request • Out of District Tuitions – .5% ($7310) increase • Contracted Services Medicare – $8389 increase due to under funding in FY 07 and small increase in CASE assessment. • Supplies and Equipment - $1500 decrease due to efficiencies • Professional Development - $13,700 increase due to equitable approach ($200 for each unit A and $100 for each unit C staff per year)

6. Nashoba Special Education FY 08 Initiatives • Two special education teachers are needed to restart the NRHS life skills program (14-15 students). • Three paraprofessionals will be reassigned to the NRHS life skills program. • A .6 paraprofessional position at NRHS needs to be increased to 1.0 to support an expected increase of inclusion students. • The Director of Special Education needs to be a full time position.

7. Nashoba Special Education Budget Summary • Non-salary lines equal less than two percent increase over FY07. • Staffing additions at the high school level will service our most needy special education students as they move into high school. • NRSD moves toward a full time Director of Special Education.

8. Nashoba Special Education In FY 07 the Special Education Department’s initiatives included supplementing our staff to adequately address our students and to establish cost efficiencies. • Teacher of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired: New students to the district required the expertise of this position. We were very lucky to find a terrific Teacher of the Deaf for this 20 hour position. • Physical Therapist: We had been contracting for this service, and a cost comparison determined that hiring our own PT would be cost efficient and would bring this expertise to our staff. We are thrilled to have a PT on staff whose only job is to work with our children and staff.

9. Nashoba Special Education Conclusion • The FY08 budget reflects our best predictions about the needs of our students and staff for the next fiscal year. • The goal of the Special Education Department continues to be to deliver excellent services to our students with disabilities while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Thank you.