Special Education: Innovative Arrangements Between a School District and Charter Schools Results in Better Outcomes for Students with Special Needs ACSA.

Special Education: Innovative Arrangements Between a School

District and Charter Schools Results in Better Outcomes for Students with

Special Needs

ACSA Every Child Counts Symposium

Brian Bauer, CEO, Granada Hills Charter High SchoolSharyn Howell, Executive Director, LAUSD

Gina Plate, Sr. Advisor for Special Education

January 16, 2015

Charter Schools

Intended as models for innovation, charter schools are uniquely position to provide individualized support to all students.

Local Educational Agency (LEA) for Special

EducationEd. Code §47641(a)

Part of an LEA (“School of the District”)

Ed. Code §47641(b)

California Charter Schools have two options for special education service delivery and responsibility:

California:Two Options for Charter Schools

Key Factors

• Independent LEA for special education purposes

• Part of an LEA for special education purposes

Legal Status

• Relationship to authorizer dictates:• Access to funding• Service delivery responsibility and

decision making authority

Linkage

= Authorizer = Traditional School = Charter School

Another look at the Options

Independent LEA for Special Education

(No Link)

Part of an LEA/ School of the District

(Total Link)

Responsibility & Funding Responsibility & Funding

California Special Education Structures

Another look at the Structures

LEA for Special Education

School of The District

School District

CharterSchool

SELPA

Charter School:Autonomy,

Flexibility, Funding

SELPA: Compliance,

Funding

Authorizer: Oversight,

Funding

The Great Divide: Competing Interests

Quality Services for Students

Los Angeles Unified School District

LAUSD ADA 611,000; Enrollment: 653,826

Students with Disabilities: 82,000

304 Charter Schools; 122,000 ADA

The LAUSD Vision

Expand the innovative, high-quality school choice options available for vulnerable youth by empowering charter schools to:

Serve a greater number of students with unique needs;

Provide innovative, high-quality services to a broader range of students.

11

The LAUSD SELPA Structure

• One Single-District SELPA

• Two Sub-groups– District-Operated Programs– Charter-Operated Programs

LAUSD: One structure, two programs

LAUSD Board of Education

LAUSD SELPA

$

District-Operated Program

$

Charter-Operated Program

Advisory Committee2 charter representatives3 district representatives

One SELPA, two Programs

District Operated Program Charter Operated Program

LAUSD SELPA

Affiliated charters

Traditional district schools and “school of

the district” charters

Programs and Services

Option 2

charters

Option 1

charters

Semi-autonomous

“LEA-like” charters

Option 3

charter

Option 3

charter

Option 3

charter

$ $

How Does the Charter Operated Program (COP) Structure Look Like In

LAUSD?

• Charter Schools 80%

• Admin. Costs 10%• Pooled for Risk Sharing 10%

Each charter school assumes responsibility for providing all special education services similar to structure available to schools operating as an LEA for special education purposes.

Charter schools in the new program have increased both the number and range of students with disabilities they serve

COP schools increased the percentage of students with disabilities they serve from 8.12% in 2010-’11 to 9.73% in 2012-’13.

COP schools have increased the proportion of students with the most severe ("low-incidence") disabilities by 39%.

Case Study: Los Angeles

District Operated Schools (including special ed centers)

COP Members (2010-11 data is prior to joining COP)

Non-COP Independent Charters

All Charters

12.10%

8.08%

8.21%

8.21%

12.04%

9.01%

8.41%

8.62%

12.30%

9.73%

8.96%

9.30%

2012-13 2011-12 2010-11

Successes in New Arrangements

• A regression analysis showed every additional year as an LEA a school has an average increase of .4% in the proportion of student population identified with a disability.

• In other words, after 5 years as an LEA, the average increase in population of SWD is 2%.

DISCUSSION RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON CONFERENCE WEBSITE