I fully support the proposal sent by the Oakland CAC to the Board of Education. It is crucial that Special Education is supported in the Fiscal Legislative Platform. In particular, Charter Schools should be required to be appropriately staffed to support students with moderate/severe needs, so that the fiscal burden of this does not rest primarily on District schools. It is also time to update the Ed code definition of "severity" to reflect educational need versus disability category, so that funding discussions and decisions have appropriate context. Just as we don't categorize programs by disability, but rather by need.
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Oakland Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) covers all OUSD schools as well as 5 charters: the American Indian Charter Schools (three schools serving k-12); Civicorps Academy (Young Adult program); and Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts High School (9-12).
Funding Special Education has always been challenging, and beyond the base dollars. OUSD serves almost 6000 students with extra needs requiring multiple services. I ask this board, again, to recognize that they are OUSD students, with as much right to an education as any other student, and access to the same level and variety of programs.
In support of the letter below, I ask: that the other Charter schools in Oakland join their community and not one in North Tahoe; that the State recognizes diverse needs require diverse funding & a one-size-fits all approach hurts all our students & that the Federal Government be held to its commitment to fully fund FAPE as promised.
I am opposed to government using public tax dollars to pay for lobbyists.
But I also support the Oakland CAC concerns, including more funding and the issues raised by Shelly Weintraub and Carol Dalton. Examination of SPED in OUSD and charters in an area filled with Universities and colleges seems doable.
Ultimately, California continues to underfund public education, and because Oakland has a horrible combination of rising cost of living (some of the highest in the country) and low per pupil funding, we are unable to provide the quality of learning or provide safe and updated facilities. I support OUSD continuing to advocate for more school funding. With respect to others' comments around charter schools, we need to sit down and unpack what is happening with respect to SPED at OUSD and charter, look at quality of programming, look at structural limits to how districts and charters can provide efficient SPED programming, and look at how SPED students get assigned/get access to different schools. It's a much bigger inquiry around what SPED looks like, what it should look like and what we can lobby for to change that structurally limits us from providing quality programming. I do agree that SPED funding must increase for students with greater needs.
I would like to support the request of the CAC that the district instruct our lobbyists to push for more equity between Districts and the charter community around the issue of special education. Their proposal reflects both sounds thinking and addresses an issue that has major financial implications for the district.
Thank you.
Please add the concerns of the Oakland CAC to your Fiscal Legislative Proposal:
Require charter schools to share the cost of the education of Oakland students with IEPs with a range of options including but not limited to participating in the SELPA) in which it is geographically located.
Require applications for new or renewing charter schools include an explicit plan for employing/contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Credentials.
Recognize and address the unique costs associated with educating and serving students with severe disabilities who require multiple services and therapies as determined by their IEP
Update the 40 year old Education Code definition of severity to reflect the educational needs of the student vto assure that discussions and decisions about funding for Students with Severe Disabilities can be take place with clarity.
Support the State in advocating that the Federal government fund 40% of IDEA costs as referenced in the Governor’s January 2021 Budget.
I fully support the proposal sent by the Oakland CAC to the Board of Education. It is crucial that Special Education is supported in the Fiscal Legislative Platform. In particular, Charter Schools should be required to be appropriately staffed to support students with moderate/severe needs, so that the fiscal burden of this does not rest primarily on District schools. It is also time to update the Ed code definition of "severity" to reflect educational need versus disability category, so that funding discussions and decisions have appropriate context. Just as we don't categorize programs by disability, but rather by need.
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Oakland Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) covers all OUSD schools as well as 5 charters: the American Indian Charter Schools (three schools serving k-12); Civicorps Academy (Young Adult program); and Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts High School (9-12).
Funding Special Education has always been challenging, and beyond the base dollars. OUSD serves almost 6000 students with extra needs requiring multiple services. I ask this board, again, to recognize that they are OUSD students, with as much right to an education as any other student, and access to the same level and variety of programs.
In support of the letter below, I ask: that the other Charter schools in Oakland join their community and not one in North Tahoe; that the State recognizes diverse needs require diverse funding & a one-size-fits all approach hurts all our students & that the Federal Government be held to its commitment to fully fund FAPE as promised.
I am opposed to government using public tax dollars to pay for lobbyists.
But I also support the Oakland CAC concerns, including more funding and the issues raised by Shelly Weintraub and Carol Dalton. Examination of SPED in OUSD and charters in an area filled with Universities and colleges seems doable.
Ultimately, California continues to underfund public education, and because Oakland has a horrible combination of rising cost of living (some of the highest in the country) and low per pupil funding, we are unable to provide the quality of learning or provide safe and updated facilities. I support OUSD continuing to advocate for more school funding. With respect to others' comments around charter schools, we need to sit down and unpack what is happening with respect to SPED at OUSD and charter, look at quality of programming, look at structural limits to how districts and charters can provide efficient SPED programming, and look at how SPED students get assigned/get access to different schools. It's a much bigger inquiry around what SPED looks like, what it should look like and what we can lobby for to change that structurally limits us from providing quality programming. I do agree that SPED funding must increase for students with greater needs.
I would like to support the request of the CAC that the district instruct our lobbyists to push for more equity between Districts and the charter community around the issue of special education. Their proposal reflects both sounds thinking and addresses an issue that has major financial implications for the district.
Thank you.
Please add the concerns of the Oakland CAC to your Fiscal Legislative Proposal:
Require charter schools to share the cost of the education of Oakland students with IEPs with a range of options including but not limited to participating in the SELPA) in which it is geographically located.
Require applications for new or renewing charter schools include an explicit plan for employing/contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Credentials.
Recognize and address the unique costs associated with educating and serving students with severe disabilities who require multiple services and therapies as determined by their IEP
Update the 40 year old Education Code definition of severity to reflect the educational needs of the student vto assure that discussions and decisions about funding for Students with Severe Disabilities can be take place with clarity.
Support the State in advocating that the Federal government fund 40% of IDEA costs as referenced in the Governor’s January 2021 Budget.