Superintendent Al Roberts wants to know why so many Clarkston kids are identified with special education needs.
Of the approximate 8,200 students currently attending Clarkston Community Schools, 1,162 children and young adults?14.11 percent of the district’s student population’qualify for and receive special education services.
‘I’ve asked Jodi (Yeloushan) to study this a little further,? Roberts told the school board during a recent presentation on special education in the district.
‘It seems, in comparison to districts nationwide, we’re a little high in our identification.?
Locally, Lake Orion and Oxford had lower numbers by comparison, as well; each provides special ed services to 12 percent of their respective populations.
Yeloushan, student support services executive director, presented the numbers both with and without students receiving speech therapy’roughly half of elementary-age students who receive special education services only qualify for help with speech difficulties. When the problem is corrected, they no longer receive services.
Still, Roberts said, the higher percentage was worth looking into.
“I’m sure other districts count speech in the numbers,? he said. ‘I’d like to know what our speech numbers are in comparison to other districts.?
But while numbers in Clarkston are higher, students undergo an extensive, multi-stage process before qualifying for services, Yeloushan said.
‘As an educator, you don’t go seeking out special education students. There are very specific guidelines for testing and identifying a student with special needs. Students who are struggling learners may not necessarily qualify for special education.?
lines for testing and identifying a student with special needs. Students who are struggling learners may not necessarily qualify for special education.?
Yeloushan, who has a background working with emotionally impaired students, has been with the district since 1998. Her own four children, from preschool to eighth grade, attend Clarkston schools, and her husband, Eric, teaches second grade in the district.
Her job, she says, is a responsibility she takes very seriously, and she’s careful to be sensitive to the needs of the families who receive special education services.
Often, Yeloushan explains, she uses an analogy from her own life when talking to students.
‘I wear contacts,? she said. ‘If I took them out, I wouldn’t be able to see anything. It’s a tool to level the playing field.?
And that’s what she wants to give students: a level field.
‘There’s so much to offer students with disabilities, and so much they can offer back to us,? she said. ‘When I meet new students I tell them ‘you always have new opportunities to develop who you are and what you want to be. You just need some tools so you can move forward.?
And Yeloushan and her staff are in place to help students find, and learn to use, those tools.
‘It’s important to me that people aren’t saying ‘this is a general education student and this is a special education student,? she said. ‘They’re both general education students; one may just have specific needs for learning.?
But those specific needs cost money; some 38 percent of the district’s $13 million-plus special education budget is used for teacher salaries. Another 20 percent pays for paraeducators, and 15 percent funds services from ancillary staff, such as speech therapists, social workers and school psychologists.
Another 19 percent goes toward tuition, for students who attend center programs, both in and out of district. The rest pays for transportation, administrative costs, supplies and related expenses.
A popular misconception, Yeloushan said, is that her department receives large amounts of undesignated money.
‘I’m not sure where the idea came or why people feel special education has so much money,? she said. ‘We’re really tied to specific guidelines through the federal grants and state funding we receive.?
The district uses a 14-page document, provided by the State of Michigan Department of Education as the main document for determining allowable expenditures.
One example, Yeloushan said, pertains to supplies. The document states that ‘furniture and instructional equipment ordinarily available for regular education pupils are not reimbursable, including such items as desks, lockers?..?
This document also gives function and object codes for how budget account numbers, for everything from teachers? salaries to mileage reimbursement, must be set up.
For federal funds (IDEA and Preschool Incentive Federal grants), additional guidelines must be followed.
‘For instance, we must write components for every area where we would like to use federal funds,? Yeloushan said. ‘We are monitored to make sure our expenses match the components we wrote.
The funds, she said, are audited by school district auditors, as well as by Oakland Schools and periodically by the State.
Next: Clarkston’s Autism Spectrum Disorders Center Program accepts students from across Oakland County, but a disproportionate number already live in Clarkston. Why? What problems does this pose?