USD 413 is encouraging its community to get in the game.
“Also during the meeting, [Retiring USD superintendent James] Hardy presented a letter for board members to sign addressing the underfunding of Special Education programs. The letter will be sent to this area’s state senator and representative about the need for increased state funding of special education school programs.
“Hardy used a metaphor involving a pie made of money that never changes size, even if demands for funding increase. That is happening in Kansas, as the number of students with special needs grows.
“”It may not be growing dramatically, but the needs of those students are increasing dramatically,’ Hardy said. ‘The special services that are required for those students are very expensive.’
“Hardy said there is currently a shortage of teachers in general, and this is especially true for special education programs.
“According to Hardy, Kansas is currently 42nd in the nation in terms of teacher salaries and that makes it difficult for area districts to attract those who are qualified to teach. Teachers that are part of the ANW Special Education Cooperative are at the bottom half of the salary range in this state, making it a challenge to recruit people to come to the district to do these difficult jobs, Hardy said.
“’In a lot of cases, I just think Special Ed is going to implode upon itself with all of the demands that are there,’ he said.
“Hardy said the district was very fortunate to have dedicated people who do serve these students. He also expressed appreciation for local parents and Board members that were willing to contact legislators and other politicians to express their concerns. He praised Senator Jeff King and Representative Kent Thompson for always being willing to take the district’s calls. He hopes they will share the letter with their peers in the Legislature.
“Board member Ross Hendrickson suggested that two or three of board members coordinate their schedules sometime during the legislative session to go to Topeka and meet with lawmakers face to face about this issue.
“Board President Sean Bowman concluded this portion of the meeting by saying that there were some very heroic parents and teachers in the school district who have set a good example for the board to follow on how to advocate for these children.
“I read the newspaper article (Nikki Jacobs) about her and I’m very proud of what our parents are doing on behalf of our kids,” Bowman said.
These issues about funding special education were also discussed by board member Brad LaRue in his presentation about the ANW Special Education Coop. That group has been helping special education teachers in the district better understand the process of making Individualized Education Programs for these children.
He discussed the status of legislation on funding issues from the state.
“’State representatives and senators seem to react more when a board member contacts them than when superintendents and directors contact them,’ LaRue said, ‘and the co-op has urged the boards to take some action and urge the state to do the right thing and get some more funding to get public education to the levels where it should be, and see if we can improve our services.’”
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