As a former OUSD teacher and principal, I experienced firsthand our deep challenges with delivering consistently high quality special education services. From inadequate staffing to disproportionate referrals for SPED and overrepresentation of African American students, especially boys, there are deep and intractable problems in the OUSD SELPA. I join the CAC In support of increased public funding for special education. I oppose the generalizations and mischaracterizations about SPED in Oakland's charter schools. I have experienced outstanding special education program and delivery for a range of needs in Oakland's charter schools. As a charter systems leader, I helped lead program designed that leveraged mental health funding, partnered with outstanding community experts, decreased SPED referrals and increased student academic and behavioral success. Scapegoating and generalizing charter schools is simply not accurate not helpful in finding solutions.
I urge the Board to support all CAC recommendations. The recommendations are a needed step to serve all of our most vulnerable students.
In Summary:
Require charter schools to participate in funding for Oakland students with disabilities, through joining the Oakland SELPA or other means, and also require charters to explicitly plan to have staff with Moderate/Sever Credentials.
Have the State recognize and address the costs of serving students with severe disabilities and update the definition of a severe disability to reflect the student's educational needs versus educational label.
Encourage the Federal Government to actually fund 40% of IDEA costs.
Thank you
Please support the CAC recommendations as submitted to the board. Charter schools receive public funding and should support ALL students, including those who are entitled to a wide, and possibly more expensive, range of Special Education services.
CAC requests that you:
Readopt 2019 language requiring charter schools to share costs of the education of Oakland students with IEPs with a range of tailored options, including but not limited to participating in the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) in which it is geographically located.
Further require that applications for new or renewing charters include an explicit plan for employing or contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials.
Readopt your 2020 language asking the State to address unique costs of educating students with severe disabilities who require multiple services and therapies per their IEP.
Further ask the State to update its 40 year old Ed Code definition of severity to reflect educational needs of the student versus category of disability, so that discussions and decisions about funding for Students with Severe Disabilities can take place with clarity.
Support the State to advocate that the Federal government fully fund 40% of IDEA costs
I support the CAC resolution on including special education in your legislative priorities. Charters are not currently contributing fairly to educating special education students and this resolution will help to change that. This supports the district's focus on equity. It should be part of our district’s priorities as it has been in the past.”
THANK YOU
I support the CAC in urging that OUSD's legislative priorities include requiring the charter school industry in Oakland to share more fully in the cost of special education. Charter schools' refusal to take on a proportionate share of these costs -- by enrolling their share of students with IEPs and by refusing to participate in the OUSD SELPA -- drains resources from public schools and harms Oakland students overall.
I urge the Board to adopt the Legislative Priorities recommended by the CAC which include requiring charter schools to share in the costs of the education of Oakland students with IEPs and employing or contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials. Also, to amend the Ed Code definition of "intensive services" and for the Federal Govt to fully fund 40% of the cost of IDEA. This is a matter of equity as well as fiscal policy. Currently, the district is contributing somewhere around $70 million per year from its general fund for Special Education services. Each of these policies would reduce that contribution and result in more resources available to serve our students.
I support the CAC resolution to include special education as a legislative priority of the district. Currently charters under-enroll and opt not to educate special education students, especially those with moderate to severe disabilities, and therefore create inequities/drain of resources within the district. This resolution will help address this situation. I write on behalf of myself as well as Educators for Democratic Schools and the Wellstone Democratic Club Education Committee.
Each Charter School has the legal responsibility to manage our resources prudently and responsibly and to be able to direct as much funding as possible to our classrooms and our students. Our parents - particularly our parents of students with disabilities - have trusted our schools to provide these services.
Lighthouse Community Public Schools and all other charter schools in Oakland have the right and legal responsibility to select a high quality SELPA aligned to our needs. We will work with our legal representation to make sure we continue to have that right.
A high-quality SELPA allows us to responsibly provide quality special education services to our students and also ensures that we maintain adequate funding for programs and instruction that allows us to provide a high-quality public school option to some of Oakland’s most underserved students.
I support the CAC resolution to include special education as a legislative priority of the district. Currently charters under-enroll and opt not to educate special education students and therefore create inequities within the district. This resolution will help address this situation.
As a former OUSD teacher and principal, I experienced firsthand our deep challenges with delivering consistently high quality special education services. From inadequate staffing to disproportionate referrals for SPED and overrepresentation of African American students, especially boys, there are deep and intractable problems in the OUSD SELPA. I join the CAC In support of increased public funding for special education. I oppose the generalizations and mischaracterizations about SPED in Oakland's charter schools. I have experienced outstanding special education program and delivery for a range of needs in Oakland's charter schools. As a charter systems leader, I helped lead program designed that leveraged mental health funding, partnered with outstanding community experts, decreased SPED referrals and increased student academic and behavioral success. Scapegoating and generalizing charter schools is simply not accurate not helpful in finding solutions.
I urge the Board to support all CAC recommendations. The recommendations are a needed step to serve all of our most vulnerable students.
In Summary:
Require charter schools to participate in funding for Oakland students with disabilities, through joining the Oakland SELPA or other means, and also require charters to explicitly plan to have staff with Moderate/Sever Credentials.
Have the State recognize and address the costs of serving students with severe disabilities and update the definition of a severe disability to reflect the student's educational needs versus educational label.
Encourage the Federal Government to actually fund 40% of IDEA costs.
Thank you
Please support the CAC recommendations as submitted to the board. Charter schools receive public funding and should support ALL students, including those who are entitled to a wide, and possibly more expensive, range of Special Education services.
CAC requests that you:
Readopt 2019 language requiring charter schools to share costs of the education of Oakland students with IEPs with a range of tailored options, including but not limited to participating in the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) in which it is geographically located.
Further require that applications for new or renewing charters include an explicit plan for employing or contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials.
Readopt your 2020 language asking the State to address unique costs of educating students with severe disabilities who require multiple services and therapies per their IEP.
Further ask the State to update its 40 year old Ed Code definition of severity to reflect educational needs of the student versus category of disability, so that discussions and decisions about funding for Students with Severe Disabilities can take place with clarity.
Support the State to advocate that the Federal government fully fund 40% of IDEA costs
I support the CAC resolution on including special education in your legislative priorities. Charters are not currently contributing fairly to educating special education students and this resolution will help to change that. This supports the district's focus on equity. It should be part of our district’s priorities as it has been in the past.”
THANK YOU
I support the CAC in urging that OUSD's legislative priorities include requiring the charter school industry in Oakland to share more fully in the cost of special education. Charter schools' refusal to take on a proportionate share of these costs -- by enrolling their share of students with IEPs and by refusing to participate in the OUSD SELPA -- drains resources from public schools and harms Oakland students overall.
I urge the Board to adopt the Legislative Priorities recommended by the CAC which include requiring charter schools to share in the costs of the education of Oakland students with IEPs and employing or contracting staff with Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials. Also, to amend the Ed Code definition of "intensive services" and for the Federal Govt to fully fund 40% of the cost of IDEA. This is a matter of equity as well as fiscal policy. Currently, the district is contributing somewhere around $70 million per year from its general fund for Special Education services. Each of these policies would reduce that contribution and result in more resources available to serve our students.
I support the CAC resolution to include special education as a legislative priority of the district. Currently charters under-enroll and opt not to educate special education students, especially those with moderate to severe disabilities, and therefore create inequities/drain of resources within the district. This resolution will help address this situation. I write on behalf of myself as well as Educators for Democratic Schools and the Wellstone Democratic Club Education Committee.
Each Charter School has the legal responsibility to manage our resources prudently and responsibly and to be able to direct as much funding as possible to our classrooms and our students. Our parents - particularly our parents of students with disabilities - have trusted our schools to provide these services.
Lighthouse Community Public Schools and all other charter schools in Oakland have the right and legal responsibility to select a high quality SELPA aligned to our needs. We will work with our legal representation to make sure we continue to have that right.
A high-quality SELPA allows us to responsibly provide quality special education services to our students and also ensures that we maintain adequate funding for programs and instruction that allows us to provide a high-quality public school option to some of Oakland’s most underserved students.
I support the CAC resolution to include special education as a legislative priority of the district. Currently charters under-enroll and opt not to educate special education students and therefore create inequities within the district. This resolution will help address this situation.