At what cost is special education in Marion County?
Staff reporter
When it came down to dollars and cents, at least three Marion-Florence board of education members were not willing to sign over additional funds to Marion County Special Education Cooperative.
A joint meeting was held Monday evening with the special education cooperative and the five school districts within the county to discuss programs and buildings.
In the beginning, the real issue was skirted by board members but by the end of the evening, it was apparent that a consensus was not going to be reached that evening.
The cooperative, which is comprised of representatives of each of the five school districts, had addressed some programming issues during the past 18 months and was looking for solutions.
One solution is to renovate the current Florence facilities which would include a new roof, new heating and cooling systems, window replacement, paved parking lot, and handicapped accessibility. A cost estimate of $650,000 was predicted for those improvements.
A new facility could cost $1-1.2 million.
Keith Collett of USD 408 asked how either of these projects was going to be funded.
"Bricks and mortar projects typically are bond issues," he said, and voted on by constituents.
"Special education cooperative does not have the capabilities to issue bonds. So these dollars would come from general education funds from the five districts," Collett said.
He continued that each district has compromised or lost programs because of budget constraints and compromising a major building project would compromise all students.
"This is not a step I am willing to take," Collett said.
Rex Savage, president of the board of USD 408, explained that the district had charged the cooperative $2,500-3,000 per year for use of the building during the first eight years or so.
During that time, no maintenance was occurring on the buildings, Savage said, so the terms of the lease were changed and the cost was increased.
"USD 408 took responsibility of maintaining these buildings," he said.
Currently the cooperative pays $50,000 per year.
Centre USD 397 school board member Leona Hajek asked if it would be USD 408's responsibility to pay for the necessary upgrades.
Savage responded it would be USD 408's responsibility to make necessary repairs but not upgrades.
Peabody-Burns USD 398 Superintendent Tom Alstrom said the purpose of this meeting wasn't to decide whether to spend $650,000 for upgrades and should not be a discussion item.
"The reason we're here tonight is to discuss if OASIS is providing the necessary education," he said. "If not, we need to look at the problems, not the location.
"We're in a territorial battle instead of an educational battle," Alstrom said.
"We don't need to talk dollars and cents," said Rod Koons of Hillsboro USD 410. "We have an opportunity to show our county that five organizations within the county can collaborate and work together. We need to figure out how to serve the needs of our students. We get hung up on money instead of what is really needed."
Jennifer Kassebaum of Centre USD 397 said for her school district, money is a big deal and has to be a consideration.
Don't want to go back
Cooperative chairman Richard Drake of Goessel USD 411 said the discussion of facilities began two years ago when former director Fred Miller was with the cooperative. The discussion began with maintenance and upkeep and evolved into what was needed for students.
"Are these kids getting what they need to be productive members of society?" Drake asked.
It has been 10 years since the cooperative was formed and the board determined it was time to review the program.
Hillsboro USD 410 Superintendent Gordon Mohn said he could recall when special needs children were located within the traditional school buildings.
"With that population's presence in the buildings, it was difficult to be as flexible with students in school vs. special facility," Mohn said. That type of program did not adequately serve the children.
"We can't match the staff in home districts," said Lee Leiker, superintendent of Marion-Florence USD 408. "They do a great job in reward and recognition system. It's not the facilities but the staff who make a difference and make programs successful."
John Fast, superintendent of Goessel USD 411, agreed.
"OASIS is a model for other counties," he said.
It was a consensus that the school districts did not want to go back to where they were 10 years ago.
Staff speaks
Regina Kimbrel, school psychologist, said there are drawbacks to being located in Florence.
"We can't offer everything we could if located next to another school," she said, "but can give them a structured program and be able to change their behaviors."
One advantage to being in Florence is being able to offer a unique program.
"This is what's best for our kids at this time," she said, and it isn't necessarily a disadvantage that these children aren't around those peers who may have a negative influence.
Debbie Okee, school social worker, said vocational classes cannot be offered at the current facility.
"It would be nice to be near a school or in a larger community," she said.
In a larger community, there could be more work study opportunities.
Dewayne Abrahams, a teacher in the OASIS program, said the real challenge was following the curriculum of five school districts.
"We try to do the best we can for students," he said. "Science labs are not the same (as those within the districts) but can do some things on a smaller scale."
It was noted that the ultimate goal of the OASIS program is to return and re-integrate students in their home districts.
Clark Davis, cooperative board member and representative of Centre USD 397, asked if OASIS students were able to participate in activities in their home districts.
Kimbrel responded that students are encouraged to do so and many have participated in various sports.
Lynel Unrau, Goessel USD 411 school board member, asked if the Florence location inhibited activities of OASIS students?
"You have to ask if it's better for OASIS students to be out of situations that get them in trouble," Davis responded.
Cooperative director Chris Cezar said he wondered if it's the best solution to have students with the most needs in an isolated part of the county with limited resources.
New vs. old
Kassebaum said she didn't think her school district could afford a new facility but wanted to know if remodeling would provide the necessary services and would solve the problems.
Cezar said the cooperative was still faced with ADA issues and instructional barriers. The program needed more elective classes like shop and physical education as well as an expanded science lab.
"When you look at the number of students being served, it's hard to understand doing a full shop for a couple of kids," Kassebaum said. She said she would rather see those students integrated in regular programs at their home schools.
Drake said they would have to work through scheduling issues.
A new facility would combine services in one building and would be located near a home school. Students would be integrated into that school but all would be contingent on the five school districts coming to an agreement.
Maynard Knepp of Goessel USD 411 asked if a study had been conducted regarding the condition and projected improvements to the building after 10 years. The board responded there had not been a study for that purpose.
Sharing space
Leiker said an invitation was made to other school districts and now one was being made to the cooperative for students to participate in Marion High School construction classes. Two three-hour classes are held, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Mohn said the science labs at Hillsboro High School are not being used a fourth of the day and OASIS students could use them.
What's next?
Currently Marion-Florence USD 408 owns the cooperative buildings. The question was asked if improvements are made, who would own the building?
Gilbert Loewen of Peabody-Burns USD 398 said the cooperative needed to look at owning the facility.
Fast wanted the board to look at five years down the road and best serving the needs of students.
It was mentioned that there are two separate issues — those OASIS students with behavioral and social issues and those with moderate to severe physical and mental limitations.
Mohn suggested a detailed financial analysis be conducted of upgrades vs. new facility.
Doe Ann Hague, a cooperative board member and representative of Peabody-Burns USD398, said the cooperative hadn't looked at cost of moving to another location.
"I feel we need to research those costs without making a commitment," she said. The information also needed to include information about staying in Florence.
"Making something happen comes with a cost," said Lyle Leppke, cooperative board member and representative of Marion-Florence USD 408. "If building a new facility is a priority, it is going to come with a cost. What am I going to cut to make this happen?"
Davis urged the group to look outside the box for solutions.
"We're talking about serving four percent of the students in the county with a multimillion dollar project," he said. "The key mission of OASIS is to return the students to regular education. It's not a sentence for life but a program for an appropriate amount of time."
Another joint meeting will be planned in the future with more information being proposed at that time.
During the regular portion of the meeting of Marion County Special Education Cooperative, the board approved the consent agenda which included the resignation/termination of Jennifer Brown, and staff appointments of Jeanette Wirtz and Dawn Kaiser.
The next regular board meeting will be at 7 p.m. March 26.
