The role of special education has recently been the source of much reflection in Harvard as well as throughout the commonwealth. I offer the following to help inform citizens who wish to know more and gain deeper insight about this important topic.
On my first day as superintendent of schools in July 2005, I was confronted with a letter from the commissioner of education threatening to withhold state funding to Harvard based on historical noncompliance issues identified from a recent special education audit. For obvious reasons, this was an issue I did not take lightly. The district responded aggressively to address compliance and programming issues identified. Charles Horn, director of special education, and I reviewed the report with state officials and immediately put in place a comprehensive action plan to resolve all outstanding issues. Working closely with the administrative team and special education staff, we resolved each item identified in the state report. Due in large part to the excellent leadership and tireless efforts of Mr. Horn, the department rectified all outstanding issues and was certified to be in compliance of relevant federal and state laws and regulations. Within months of receiving the commissioner’s first letter, we received another letter certifying clearance and commending the district’s efforts.
Last week, I was surprised to read in the Harvard Press that my predecessor felt an outside audit of special education was long overdue. There was no reference to the need for such an audit in our transition meetings, nor is there a formal School Committee record of such a recommendation. In July 2005, I met with then Finance Committee Chairwoman Cindy Russo and learned of her desire for an outside audit. I took her comments under advisement and began a detailed review of the program in conjunction with our compliance work. As part of that process, I reviewed financial data, examined district and student records, met with faculty members, observed classrooms, met with the Special Education Parents’ Advisory Council, surveyed parents who had left the district, consulted with the Department of Education, and shadowed individual students. I also brought my own experience of serving for four years as special education director in a small district and chairing over 1,000 team meetings as a building principal to develop Individualized Education Plans.
What I learned left me impressed with the tremendous job done by our special education staff. I found that Harvard has a dedicated and talented group of hard working teachers led by a gifted director, all committed to providing the best program they can for our students. My findings were echoed in an outside independent program evaluation conducted last year as part of our ongoing compliance requirements. Commendations from that report praised several of the district’s teachers and our integrated preschool program, which has served as a model for neighboring communities.
My findings did identify areas where additional support was needed, and those recommendations have been included in the proposed fiscal year 2008 budget and have been reviewed in careful detail with town boards. In our FY08 proposed budget, our total expenditures for out-of-district expenses (tuitions, collaborative fees, and transportation less circuit-breaker reimbursement) have increased less than 2 percent over the current budget and remain well below actual expenditures projected for FY07.
Concerns about the cost of special education have been present in communities across the state and nation since the inception of special education legislation over two decades ago. An analysis of Harvard’s spending over the past 12 years indicates that while special education costs have increased as a portion the overall budget, the overall percent of resources spent on special education and the rate of increase have been consistent with state averages. Our per-pupil expenditure on special education remains below the state average.
Last spring, I shared with the School Committee a 2003 report conducted by officials in Acton that analyzed regional spending patterns and generated recommendations to save money. Based on that document, the School Committee created an ad hoc task force to conduct a similar local review. A group, including representatives from town boards, the community, and school administrators, was formed last fall and has begun examining procedures, staffing, program models, and financial impact. Our next step will be to investigate the districts that serve children well, while saving money for their towns.
I encourage Harvard citizens to help address special education funding issues at the state level. The School Committee has lobbied Representative Jamie Eldridge and Senator Pam Resor to fully fund the circuit breaker (the reimbursement formula for more expensive individual programs), and to include transportation costs in those calculations. Harvard would stand to gain hundreds of thousands of dollars annually with these changes. Controlling costs will require a multipronged solution. As a district we will continue to strengthen our classroom instructional program and tiers of intervention so fewer students will require specialized services. In addition, we will continue to develop internal programs, such as our integrated preschool, to control costs by serving our students in Harvard, rather than in out-of-district placements. We will continue to take a leadership role in the CASE Collaborative, which combines 12 districts to provide cost-effective public alternatives to private placements. These efforts, coupled with state reforms, offer the greatest potential to provide special education services that are best for our children and fiscally responsible for our town.
In closing, I implore us all to be careful not to scapegoat children with special needs or their families in a quest to address broader financial issues not of their making. By law, as well as moral obligation, any child with special needs is entitled to an education in an appropriate setting. It is the right of every parent to work with the district to identify a program that addresses the special needs of their child. Included in those rights are a prescribed appeals process and a right to confidentiality. It is important that we all respect all those rights, as we would want nothing less for our own children and grandchildren.
Dr. Thomas Jefferson has been superintendent of schools in Harvard since 2005.
