Save Geauga County’s Special Education Students
If I were a parent of a special education student(s) in Geauga County, in any of the seven local districts — Chardon, West Geauga, Kenston, Cardinal, Newbury, Berkshire and Ledgemont — I would be very concerned about a possible, upcoming change for the up-coming 2016-2017 school year in the delivery of services for my child.
The three largest districts — Chardon, Kenstion and West Geauga — are considering outsourcing special education services to the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center.
As a former Geauga County school psychologist who has had contact with all the local districts and Metzenbaum over the last 30 years, I have become aware there is a real possibility the services provided by the Geauga County Educational Service Center for special education students and gifted students in the local districts may be terminated.
The three noted large school districts initiated this possible educational change. The Cuyahoga County ESC would then take over those services. A final decision will be made during the 2015-2016 school year.
As a taxpayer and parent, were you aware this tectonic change is in the educational works? Has your local board, special education director and superintendent communicated to you the possibility of this out-of-county services change or that it is even being seriously considered?
I am aware the teachers and therapists of Geauga County’s special education students are very concerned about this change taking place.
How could this effect the education of your special education student? The possible ways this may effect your special education student are numerous and dramatic.
1. The special education services provided to the districts by the Geauga County ESC for preschool students, at risk high school students with IEPs, students receiving speech and language services, students receiving occupational services, students receiving physical therapy services, students receiving counseling services, students receiving nursing services, students receiving consultive gifted services and students receiving school psychologist services will be provided by the Cuyahoga County ESC.
2. It is likely that those Geauga County students that would be effected would have different special education teachers, aides and therapists.
Cost is a factor and the Cuyahoga County ESC is under no legal obligation to hire your student’s current teacher or a teacher with the same experience.
3. It is possible that the transportation services could change, either with different routes, different drivers or longer routes.
4. Some Geauga County special education students could be shifted from their current classroom and building to a different regional classroom in Lake County, to another Geauga County district or to eastern Cuyahoga County.
This would be more likely for some autistic students, preschool students, cognitively disabled student, visually impaired students, hearing impaired students and students with major behavioral/emotional needs.
The Cuyahoga County ESC is already operating in the Mentor and Kirtland school districts as well as other districts.
How could this shift of services to Cuyahoga County effect taxpayers and parents? Again, there could be some profound changes.
1. The school levy monies from the local districts, especially from Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston, could be used to purchase Cuyahoga County ESC services; this is not a purchase of services the taxpayer and parent would have anticipated or wanted at the time of the levy approval.
2. The local school board, citizen and parent could lose a significant amount of local control of educational policy-making as the services available would be those offered by the Cuyahoga County ESC.
By contrast, all seven local superintendents meet regularly with the superintendent of the Geauga County ESC to consult, plan and problem solve for students.
3. While there may be an initial savings the first year that the Cuyahoga County ESC takes over special education services, the cost will likely rise as all of the administrative, teacher and therapist salaries in Cuyahoga County are significantly higher than in Geauga County. That cost could be passed on to the Geauga County districts. The Cuyahoga County ESC charges a 5 percent administrative fee; the Geauga County ESC charges a 4 percent administrative fee for services.
4. The special education consortium that currently exists with the Geauga County ESC for student services and all of the seven local districts could be jeopardized.
If Chardon, West Geauga and Kenston schools pull out of the consortium to buy Cuyahoga County ESC services, this could possibly end or drastically reduce services to the smaller districts — Cardinal, Ledgemont, Newbury and Berkshire — from the Geauga County ESC.
Some of the Geauga school districts may make this consequential decision that will effect your special education student by the Spring of 2016.
If I were a parent of a special education student in Geauga County who receives services from the Geauga County ESC —all districts use these services — I would contact your local school board, superintendent and special education director and ask several key questions before the end of the school year:
1. How is it that there has been little communicated about this important countywide decision to possibly change service providers for my special education student?
2. What is the long term cost of all these services? What is the total annual cost?
3. How is it that the taxpayer and parent who approved levy monies for the local district will be seeing those monies spent in Cuyahoga County?
4. Will there be an open forum meeting(s) provided by my district to outline this potential change of special education services before a final decision is made? If not, why not?
5. How will this alter my special education student’s services, transportation schedule, least restrictive environment and the status of his /her current teachers, aides and therapists?
6. Why is the Cuyahoga County ESC even being considerd as a service provider for my special education student?
If I were a parent of a special education student in Geauga County . . .
Sheldon Firem
Hambden Township
