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AEP Online |
Blaschke on Federal FundingState-Level Working Group to Connect Special Ed and Title ISeptember 2001 - The National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Council of Chief State School Officers have formed a state-level working group to calm the traditional "turf battles" between special education and Title I programs. Dubbed the "Policy Maker Partnership for Special Education," the multi-year effort is funded by the Department of Education. Among the first issues being addressed are district officials' concerns about taking advantage of the new flexibility provisions - such as Section 613 "incidental use" in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and commingling Title I and IDEA funds in Title I schoolwide programs. The Government Accounting Office reported in 1999 and 2000 that in districts where officials were aware of the new flexibility provisions in IDEA, Title I, and ESEA, the greatest barriers were state education agencies. According to the GAO, more than 25 states refused to allow districts to take advantage of the "unneeded funds" provision under Title XI and XIV of ESEA, to transfer up to 5 percent of "unused funds" from one federal program to another toward the end of a fiscal year. Where states have allowed districts to commingle Title I and IDEA funds in programs for all students, SEAs often strongly encourage districts to maintain separate records of funds used to serve the two groups - even though Federal IDEA and Title I regulations clearly state that such accounting is NOT necessary. In fact, the former national Title I director has publicly stated that the "Title I auditor stops at the door of a Title I schoolwide program." The TURNKEY Survey of Technology Use in Special Education and Marketing Guide (August 2001) found that more than half the respondents (most of whom were directors of special education programs in large districts) were unaware of the Section 613 "incidental use" provision, which allows districts' non-special education students to use site-licensed network software purchased with IDEA funds. This is permitted as long as the price is standard, regardless of the number of student users. In cases where states have offered a similar provision for their own special education funds, as has Texas for several years, districts are more likely to take advantage of related flexibility under Section 613. A number of states have made efforts to resolve some of these "turf battles," and to encourage districts to take advantage of fiscal flexibility in integrating Title I and special education programs. These include:
Other states active in the working group include Oregon and Michigan.
Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 302-295-8349. |
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