School districts brace for loss of special ed funds
By: SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | ∞
NORTH COUNTY ---- School districts across the state and nation could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars each in annual special education funding if a recently proposed federal rule to stop reimbursing them for Medicaid-related services takes effect next year, educators said last week.
The rule, proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, would prohibit school districts from receiving payments for transportation and administrative services ---- including outreach programs, referrals to medical providers, counseling and monitoring ---- that they provide to disabled children and their families who are eligible for Medicaid. The centers, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a federal agency that administers federal and state health insurance programs.
The federal government intends to save almost $4 billion over five years if the rule is enacted. The public has until Nov. 6 to comment on the proposal.
Local and state educators say the rule could result in a significant cut in professional development for teachers, and in the programs and services they offer special education students.
The amount the districts risk losing varies, said Suzi Rader, the director of district and financial services for the California School Boards Association.
Medicaid reimbursements to local school districts for the 2005-06 school year, the most recent year figures were available, ranged from $259,000 combined for Escondido's elementary and high school districts to about $127,000 for the Encinitas Union School District, she said.
The San Diego County Office of Education could lose the $745,000 it receives for the thousands of Medicaid-eligible students it serves, said Carolyn Nunes, its special education director. Officials say that the statewide loss could be enormous.
"I think most school districts are concerned about the cuts," said Kelly Prins, assistant superintendent of special education for the Escondido Union School District.
Prins said districts rely on the reimbursements to offer students expanded physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions and transportation to medical appointments, as well as providing parents with information on different programs and resources available to their children.
Some of the funds can also be used for staff development and training that is specifically geared toward improving such services, Prins said.
"It's not millions, but it's a good chunk, Prins said, adding that the loss of the reimbursements would force underfunded special education programs to rely more heavily on a district's general fund.
The federal government, which is supposed to fund 40 cents of every dollar a district spends on special education, currently only pays about 18 cents, Nunes said.
"If these funds are taken away, it's kind of another slap to us who are trying to serve our most needy students," Nunes said. "(Not receiving them) will definitely impact our families and our kids."
Federal officials said, however, that some districts are using part of their reimbursement money to help fund programs and transportation services that are not linked to Medicaid-related services.
The new regulation, they said, could save the government $3.6 billion over five years.
In justifying the cut in reimbursements, federal officials have said that the cost of transporting a student from home to school for therapy should be billed as an educational expense because students are not just receiving medical-related assistance when they're on campus.
Lucile Lynch, a special education parent in the Encinitas Union School District and a member of the North Coast Consortium for Special Education's executive board, disagreed.
Lynch said that offering special education therapies and services at school is more effective because it helps students learn skills to succeed away from home. Many students, including her son, she said, may do something easily at home that they cannot do initially at school.
"You come home and the environment is completely different," she said. "You have to be able to mimic the location and setting to know what you need to work on."
Another benefit of receiving occupational and speech therapy sessions at school, Lynch said, is that her 9-year-old son has been able to work on developing his speaking skills on a daily basis. Without this funding for the schools, she said, some districts will have fewer financial resources to hirer a speech therapist or to provide the materials needed for that repetition.
"He started in some of these speech programs not being able to talk," she said. "And now he is reading a full paragraph. ... What these services have meant to us was the chance to have a somewhat independent life."
To comment on the rule change, published Sept. 7 in the Federal Register, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/eRulemaking. Comments are due by Nov. 6.
Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing to cut federal Medicaid reimbursements that schools get for certain special education programs. The cut in funding, $3.6 billion over five years, would eliminate:
Public comment will be accepted through Nov. 6.
To read the propose rule, go tohttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidGenInfo/Downloads/CMS2287P.pdf
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Local wrote on Oct 20, 2007 11:52 PM:So the Feds will save 3.6 billion over 5 years (less than 1 billion per year). We now spend about $60 billion a month on the idiotic Iraq war. If we stop the killing in Iraq one month early, we can fund these services for another 60 years.
To Local wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:30 AM:You'd have about 2 years before you'd find yourself having to fight the terrorists right here in your own backyard. If we walk away from Iraq it will not be at all like our leaving Viet Nam. This time they will follow us home! In Fact, they are already here, and have been since as early as 1993! Your freedoms in the US are slipping away day by day as you play your little headgames with reality. But, try to isolate the US from the realities of the current situations in the World and you will find that what we know as teh USA will cease to exist in just under 2 years and no amount of wishful thinking will return us to that peace and freedom we once knew. No, this war is best faught on foreign soil before it becomes your life and mine right here in the good old USA!
Always not enough money wrote on Oct 21, 2007 7:17 AM:I read the other day that the State increased funding to the schools again this year. Is it not reasonable to think they could use some of that. Since passing school bonds was lowered to a 55 percent majority rather than two thirds,I am sure we can expect another one on our property tax bill soon.
John wrote on Oct 21, 2007 7:42 AM:So the feds save 3.6 billion. The state of California spends 30 billion a year alone on Illegal aliens,so called benefits. Medical.housing,education and the ever present prison system. This must stop.Deport now.
Dave Of The Desert wrote on Oct 21, 2007 8:06 AM:Another shining example of your Republiscum in action. "No Child Left Behind!" Ha Ha Ha.
Raul wrote on Oct 21, 2007 9:57 AM:And we spend billions more on illegal aliens
JohnnyTrigger wrote on Oct 21, 2007 11:18 AM:We are $9 trillion in debt. We need to reign in spending... on ALL programs... including the war. I support the proposal in this article. Anything to stop the wild and addictive spending habits of DC.
Fed Up wrote on Oct 21, 2007 11:38 AM:I resent the term "Most needy students" that Nunez blurts. Why do we insist on spending BILLIONS on the lower end of the social ladder and throwing away the top minds and smart kids. No wonder our country is falling and a laughing stock of the first world countries.
BUSH wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:13 PM:Of course Bush would not support help for these kids --he only supports the rich --his base.
I'm on Uranus wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:21 PM:It is simple. Stop giving away our resources to people who do not have a legal right to be here. This is just another example of how the rest of us are affected by lax enforcement of immigration laws.
Big Richard wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:25 PM:To BUSH... What??? If he only supports the rich why did he recomend giving amnesty to so many illegal aliens. They surely are not rich. your argument makes no sense.
to Dave Of The Desert wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:59 PM:No Child Left Behind was the brain child of Ted Kennedy. Bill Clinton would not pass it, but with the help of Mr. Bush and a large majority of Democrates in the House and Senate NCLB became law. So, if it was good enough for Mr. Kennedy and the Democrat Majority, why is it now a Republican action? You must realize that for the major part of Mr. Bush's two terms the Democrat party has owned botht he House and the Senate. If NCLB is so bad, then why don't they kill it? Or, it this simply one of those many things being used to try and make Bush and teh Republicans look bad?
Bush and the Rich wrote on Oct 21, 2007 2:08 PM:Do your research, you will find there is more money on the Democrat side of the Parties then on the Republican side. More of the Democrats in the House and Senate are millionaires than are Republicans. More Millionaires from Hollywood and other sectors are Democrats, and far more money is spent by Democrats to get their many "Special Programs" for their "Special" constituents. Socialists are that way you know: Divide and Conquer. When you realize that your country is no longer yours, and only the Elites retain the Rights originally reserved to ALL in the our Constitution, it will be too late for the like of you and most everybody else.
To Big Richard wrote on Oct 21, 2007 2:45 PM:He wants to give amnesty to illegals because the businesses that support Bush need the workers. Therefore, the arguement makes sense.
Dave wrote on Oct 21, 2007 2:53 PM:Big Rich...DUH!! Lil' Geo."s rich friends need the illegals because they work for low wages.
Put into Perspective wrote on Oct 21, 2007 2:53 PM:Lets not compare the cost of this program to the war - it puts supporting this program out of perspective and is a totally different issue. Lets just say that anything to do with supporting the American people, this administration is against as he has proven time and again - that is unless you can vote or give campaign contributions. Also, to all you folks that think cutting the budget is so important, where have you been the last several years when this administration was spending and stealing the American people blind. Your recent rant for budget cuts sounds like just another case of politics to me, not really caring for what is best for our country. If you cared about our country, you would have made noise when Pres. Bush was signing every spending bill that crossed his desk.
blaine wrote on Oct 21, 2007 4:11 PM:sounds like these services are not being questioned, all agree they are nessassary, so how is anyone going to save money. If the school provides the service or if a private vender provides the service the benifit will be paid. Maybe the schools need to help thier current theripists become private venders continue to provide the service in the school setting and at the same time cut some salaries out of their own budjet. nobody looses.
Big Richard wrote on Oct 21, 2007 4:27 PM:I am one of many who believe bush is a HUGE dissapointment. I guess it's too much to ask for our elected representatives to represent the wishes of the people instead of pandering to special interest groups and their fat bank accounts. How long will we tolerate being sold out and having what was once the fabric of america being so worn thin that more and more people actually contemplate anarchy war and revolution.
Lets Get Real wrote on Oct 21, 2007 6:07 PM:As a parent of a special ed student, I agree with this....since when should it be the responsibility of schools to provide transportation, etc., to therapy or whatever? Why should it be the responsibility of the schools to research info on available resources? WHEN DO PARENTS NEED TO STEP UP AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR OWN KIDS? My straight A student could not get information on college application and scholarships because the high school didn't have any info to give....here's a great idea. TEACH OUR KIDS and provide EDUCATION. Stop taking the place of parents! Put the resonsibility BACK WHERE IT BELONGS!!! The school's priority are so screwed up...and it has absolutely nothing to do with the war or Bush! This is NOT a political issue. Quit trying to make it one!
To To Local wrote on Oct 21, 2007 6:10 PM:So they have been here since 1993 and we had two attacks at the same location and we had advance notice for one of them - Aug 6 2001 Memo "Bin Laden Determined to Attack in the US". How is staying in Iraq one more month going to make us any safer? If the risk is here, why don't we do things like secure our borders and our ports? I guess that would be too logical for this administration.
Local Again wrote on Oct 21, 2007 6:54 PM:The war in Iraq really is a joke. The Afghanistan war the right war to fight (too bad Bush went lightly there and hired local chieftans to find Binladin). The #1 job of the Federal Government is to protect our country. Unfortunately, Bush's Iraq war folly has done nothing to make America safer. You may want to read up on the comments made October 12th by retired Army General, Ricardo Sanchez, who led US forces in Iraq in 2003 and called Bush's Iraq war "catastrophically flawed" and that we are "living a nightmare with no end in sight." Bush is as bad as LBJ was in the Vietnam war. Bush wastes so much money that we are hard pressed to take care of our own children.
educ8r wrote on Oct 21, 2007 8:10 PM:Before they take away funds to the schools they need to look at cutting some jobs. Look into the structure that the county office has for its SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area) system and tell me they can't save money there.
sick wrote on Oct 22, 2007 5:12 AM:DEPORT!!!!!! As citizens of this country we have the right to expect the government to do what is in our best interest. We taxpayers are being ripped off. In my opinion our politicians are guilty at the very least of misappropriation of funds, We the people need to be heard, our country and ourselves are being mistreated and it has to stop. our tax money is for us not the illegals they are draining us of our hard earned resources that we pay for!!
educ8r wrote on Oct 22, 2007 1:19 PM:sick, stop making it about the undocumented and start making about the incompetent politicians. A smart smart leader looks into infrastructure before making knee-jerk reactions. If this money was being taken away to support the undocumented I could see why you would be upset. Read a little and you'll notice that it makes no mention of that. Undocumented people are not the blame for everything that sucks in our society.
Amazing wrote on Oct 22, 2007 1:36 PM:I think it is great that so many people read this article and have true concerns about where are money is being spent. I find it sad and disheartening to see that no one see how the lack for special education funding affects our economy. All children should receive what they need to receive an education. If our children with disabilities receive what they need they will be more likely to be able to contribute to their communities. They will be working and paying tax, which in return will give back more than they needed while they were in school. Children are our future!
educ8r wrote on Oct 22, 2007 4:51 PM:amazing, I agree with you. My point is that the people making the decisions to cut these funds look at the system before taking away from our future: kids.
Mary wrote on Oct 22, 2007 5:25 PM:It's just a matter of names...in the end the taxpayers are still going to pay for the service either way in federal or local taxes.
Terry wrote on Oct 24, 2007 4:07 PM:As a public school therapist, there is an astronomical amount of paperwork that goes along with billing Medicaid in the schools. This is on top of everything else we have to do. My school, nor the kids in therapy, see a dime of these funds. I am all for the federal government stopping this mess.
Dana wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:11 PM:to Fed Up What I'm fed up with is people who think my kid should be in a shed in the back yard. They are the most needy not through any fault of their own and they do need the most help. It is not just morally right, it is economically intelligent. The government (you, Fed up) will end up supporting the kids that aren't helped to be independent. Not so the gifted kids, who will seek out learning opportunities themselves if they truly are gifted. You won't have to pay a nursing home attendant to do basic care for those kids if they don't get therapy. Intelligent people can figure out that it saves money later to spend it now.
Fran wrote on Oct 27, 2007 4:27 PM:Let me give you just one other piece to this puzzle to consider. I was an independent advocate for children with language based learning disorders (SLD) for 30 years in Vermont and for families in other states. In Vermont, before we left the state for Arizona in 2001, schools were urged by the VT. Department of Education (DOE)to put as many special education identified (Child Count)students on IEP's as possible to generate Medicaid funds. What used to be assigned a local budget responsibility was to be assigned to Medicaid instead, including such items as (Speech/Language Pathologist) for SLP diagnostic and remedial services. However, some LEA's went right on assigning these IEP costs to the local budget without informing the taxpayers that Medicaid was picking up the tab. Other LEA's held back from participating UNTIL the VT DOE assured LEA's that the State DOE would defend the LEA if challenged. (Maybe a silent agreement coming from Washington was in the hopper?) Transportation is both an IDEA and 504 Related Services issue and to which the ADA applies. The rationale is clear. A Related Service provides "access" without which a child's needs would not otherwise be met. Related Services are defined in the FEDERAL statutes..read the statutes themselves, not just the implementing regulations, or those of the state. LEA's are responsible for provision of all Related services listed on the IEP and must pick up any/all costs. That includes Field Trips and a trained aide to accompany a child with a medical disability who otherwise would be prevented (lack if "access") to activities to which classmates benefit and enjoy. (Established 1973--504,and EHA/IDEA 1975) Example: Child with Diabeties #1 was informed he could not go on a Field Trip with his class unless his mother accompanied him. The mother, a school aide, was docked a day of pay to accompany her son....until the mother,unaware of the federal laws, was made aware and lawyers stepped in. She was paid and the school was required to do what it had hoped no one would discover..and should have done no later than 1975; train an aide for such occasions to accompany childen with medical disabilities..The issue is "access" to the opportunity and "equalized" at no undo expense.
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