Switching SELPAs: When Should My Charter School Consider This?

Switching SELPAs: Switching SELPAs: When Should My Charter School Consider This?When Should My Charter School Consider This?

Switching SELPAs: Switching SELPAs: When Should My Charter School Consider This?When Should My Charter School Consider This?

Session AgendaSession Agenda

• Introduction: Overview of Special Education OptionsGina Plate, CCSA

• Joining a SELPA: Considerations, Processes and TimelinesCatherine Conrado, Ed. D., Sonoma County Charter SELPA

• Unanswered Questions: Benefits, Barriers and RisksGreg Moser, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

• Case Study: Connections AcademyFranci Sassin, Connections Education

What is a SELPA?What is a SELPA?

• Under California’s Master Plan for Special Education, each school district (and charter school) must belong to a Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)

• A SELPA is the service area covered by the local plan for providing special education services to individuals with disabilities in that area under the state and federal law

• A SELPA may be made up of one large school district or a combination of school districts and county offices of education

• Each SELPA looks different, but what they have in common is:– A local plan that determines how the members will provide services and how

decisions will be made at the SELPA level – An allocation plan that determines how the SELPA will distribute funds to

each member

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Statewide Special Education StructuresStatewide Special Education Structures

Statewide Special Education StructuresStatewide Special Education Structures

School District

CharterSchool

SELPA

Multi-DistrictSELPA

Single District SELPATradition

alSchool

TWO OPTIONS EXIST for special education service delivery and responsibility:

By default, charter schools are SCHOOLS OF THE DISTRICT for special education purposes

Two Options for Charter SchoolsTwo Options for Charter Schools

Understanding the OptionsUnderstanding the Options

LEA for Special Education

School of The District

School District

CharterSchool

SELPA

Traditional

School

• In 2007, the SBE approved a pilot program allowing for 22 charter schools to participate in 4 out-of-geographic region pilot SELPAs: El Dorado, Yuba County, Lodi Area Special Education Region, and Desert Mountain.

• In 2010, the SBE removed the pilot status and voted to allow all charter schools to apply to participate in out-of-geographic SELPA

• SELPAs may now establish statewide or regional charter-only SELPAs– El Dorado County Charter SELPA– Los Angeles County Charter SELPA– Sonoma County Charter SELPA

• The dialogue between charter schools and their authorizers and regional SELPAs has also begun to change, resulting in increased local options for charter schools.

Recent Changes and DevelopmentsRecent Changes and Developments

What is a Charter SELPA?What is a Charter SELPA?

School District

CharterSchool

SELPA

Charter SELPA

Multi-District SELPA

Comparing the OptionsComparing the Options“School of the District” LEA for Special Education

GOVERNANCE•The default arrangement

•The District, not the charter school, is the member of the SELPA and participates in the governance of the SELPA.

•The charter school must be accepted as a member of a SELPA.

•The charter school participates in the governance and decision-making of the SELPA and represents the interests of its students

RESPONSIBILITY & SERVICES•The charter school must enroll special education students in the same manner that it enrolls other students.

•The District must ensure that all charter students receive FAPE

•The charter school must enroll special education students in the same manner that it enrolls other students.

•The charter school must ensure that all of its students with disabilities receive FAPE. In order to do so, a charter school must be able to provide a full “continuum of services” for its students.

SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING•The District receives funding from the SELPA on behalf of the charter school, and must provide special education services to charter school students in the same manner as provided to students of traditional public schools of that District.

•The charter school is required to contribute a portion of its general block grant funding to support District special education costs.

•The charter school receives special education funds and/or services in accordance with the SELPA plan.

Why become an LEA?Why become an LEA?

Improved Quality of Services:•Selection and assignment of staff•Selection of strategies and programs•Alignment with your unique charter school philosophy

Financial Considerations:•Direct access to revenue•Ability to determine how funds are spent•No “fair share” contribution – excess costs are determined by your spending patterns, not that of the District

Deciding Which Option is Right for YouDeciding Which Option is Right for You

• Flexibility and Autonomy– Is it important that your school have flexibility over service delivery?

• Access to Quality Services – As a school of the district, are you confident in the quality of special education provided by the district?– As an LEA, would your school have the expertise and infrastructure to offer a full continuum of program

options?

• Access to Sufficient Funding– As a school of the district, how much special education funding are you contributing to your authorizer? – As an LEA, are the revenues available through the SELPA sufficient to provide a full continuum of quality

special education services?

• Legal/Fiscal Liability – As a school of the district, to what extent is your school currently responsible for special education service

and litigation expenses?– As an LEA, to what extent would the SELPA assist your school in resolving legal disputes? Is your school

prepared to manage this risk