The Washington State Special Education Coalition continues to seek ways to inform and educate school boards, principals, teachers, families and policy makers about the broad flexibility which already exists in statute for boards to organize their district and schools for the most effective means of educating students – those with special needs, as well as those without.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition supports the concept of charter schools on the basis that they may represent a creative, effective way of increasing the involvement of families, other adults and community members in schools and contribute to improving students’ academic and personal achievement.

The WSSEC will consider support of charter schools within these guidelines:

• Charter schools shall be accountable to and under the direction of the elected local school board.
• Charter schools shall report to the local school board regarding all public expenditures.
• A limited number of charter schools shall be authorized and studied before state-wide expansion is considered.
• The State Board of Education shall not be assigned an appellate role should a local school board not approve a charter school application.
• Charter schools shall be subject to the same requirements concerning education reform.
• Charter schools shall be non-sectarian and shall not discriminate in the enrollment of students based on race, creed or disability.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition believes that all tax payers and supporters of public schools should understand how funding for special education students works. Only a consistent accounting system can accomplish this.

Every student in Washington Schools counts as one Basic Education Allocation (BEA), and as such, generates the dollars agreed to by the legislature. Special needs students (Bilingual, Title 1, LAP and Sp Ed) generate excess cost dollars. The amount differs for each entitlement. However, for special education students, the excess cost amount currently is about $4237 per student. This is in addition to the BEA dollars that each student generates.

Special Education Excess Cost Dollars are meant to be used for the Specially Designed Instruction and Related Services needed for the special education student. They are not meant to replace the BEA dollars. There are more and more “special needs” in public education today, but they are not always special education needs. The WSSEC will continue to support more appropriate funding for other programs like LAP (Learning Assistance Program), ELL (Eng. Lang. Learners), etc. and for basic education as a whole.

Local Education Agencies (LEA) also have a State Safety Net available and should access this Safety Net when needed. Staff at the state education agency are available to help with this.

Since at least 1991, The Washington State Special Education Coalition has supported a clear fiscal tracking system such as “Revenue to Program Accounting” or “Source and Application Accounting.” Excess Costs are just what they sound like, and are not meant to be used as the entire funding allocation for a special education student. The WSSEC is pleased that since 2002, all LEA’s have been required to use the same accounting system. However, there is no systematic, clear manner in which to make comparisons from district to district in order to compare expenditures or for tax payers and policy makers to easily see how sp ed funds are used.

The WSSEC will continue to advocate for a clear and transparent accounting system so that everyone can understand where the needs are and why.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition (WSSEC) believes that P.L.101-476 (IDEA) is clear and instructive regarding the placement and educational opportunities for special education students. It guarantees a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). It clearly states that special classes, separate schooling or other removal of special education students from the regular education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Over the years for many and various reasons, special education students have routinely had to start outside of regular education and somehow prove membership or otherwise earn their way back into the regular environment. They are indeed guaranteed individualized services and specially designed instruction, but in an effort to deliver those services, too often, segregated services have been used. This has inadvertently led to the isolation of these students and restricted the range of their educational and community possibilities. Individual, specially designed instruction remains essential but in no way necessitates isolation.

The WSSEC believes it is time to recognize the value of a well supported diverse learning environment and to build that environment systematically and thoroughly for the benefit of ALL students. In this time of restructuring and change involving all aspects of education it is essential that decisions shaping the future are made with ALL students in mind.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition is deeply concerned at the increase in paperwork required at the local district level. Both parents and teachers of special education students feel that the State Forms, developed by OSPI can provide the needed protections of individual students rights, and at the same time provide for appropriate accountability.

Currently, there is no consistency from district to district, which causes unnecessary confusion for families who move, as well as for staff who work in different districts. Unnecessary paperwork also has a negative impact on the recruitment and retention of qualified and caring special education staff. More paperwork, does not necessarily equate to more appropriate or accountable IEP’s (Individual Education Plan’s).

The Washington State Special Education Coalition believes that the recent survey done by the National Council for Exceptional Children, further demonstrates this conclusion. This survey found that local school districts around the nation use from one to seventy (70) pages for an IEP - with the average being eleven (11).

In Washington State, excellent forms have been developed which are available to local districts to use. These forms are currently being updated to meet the current IDEA requirements, and WAC’s.

The WSSEC requests that all districts in Washington State be required to use the State Forms, developed by OSPI.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition is concerned about the recruitment and retention of qualified and caring individuals in the field of education in general, and Special Education, specifically.

However, the WSSEC has long supported equal recognition for all staff, both certified teachers, as well as the other licensed and/or certified staff who perform highly qualified and necessary services for students in the public schools.

Education professionals who work in the public schools include counselors, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers and speech & language pathologists.

The WSSEC is completely supportive of any efforts to encourage and reward professional development and excellence for all education professionals working with special education students – and all the students of Washington State.

The Washington State Special Education Coalition supports the use of interim alternative placements for ANY student who carries a weapon, or in well documented situations where a student can be determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others. The WSSEC believes that schools MUST BE SAFE FOR ALL CHILDREN. The SEC maintains that the IEP team must meet to decide the relationship to the disability and if a permanent change in placement is necessary to provide the student with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Additionally, if the IEP team, including experts on behavior management and the parents, in assessing the needs of the student, see the need to include special training for staff &/or parents, then these areas must be addressed and then monitored.

Special Education students must be afforded FAPE. but this does not mean that the student cannot be removed or disciplined. The student’s needs and behavior must be considered in light of the disability. The student can be removed if the IEP team agrees that the educational placement is not appropriate, and that, even with supplementary aids and services the placement can not be made appropriate.

The WSSEC believes violence in our schools needs to be addressed thoroughly and completely. There are many issues at the root of violence, such as poverty, access to firearms, gangs, dysfunctional families, inadequate supports and abuse of all kinds. Possible solutions can be found in the state BD Task Force’s report. The issue of discipline can not be allowed to be seen as targeting students with disabilities, separate from other students.

Finally, it is our position that ALL families and educators of students who are typical, as well as those with disabilities, need to work together to create healthy schools and communities. By establishing safe boundaries, valuing all school members and establishing strategies for conflict resolution together, we can nurture the safe learning environments that are necessary for the development and education of ALL children.