Back to School: the politics of educating children with special needs

This is the time of year when many families are sending their children back to school. I think most parents would agree that finding the right academic environment for their child is essential—one that supports their development and encourages their continued growth, both academically and personally.

But when your child has special needs, finding the right placement can be challenging. For many parents, this is a long, arduous process fraught with any number of hurdles that require an abundance of time, resources, and patience. If the family unit itself is stressed—perhaps due to poverty or mental illness—these challenges are multiplied exponentially.

In the United States, every child is entitled by law to a “free and appropriate public education.” When a child has needs that cannot be met within a public school setting, the child may be placed in a nonpublic school that is better equipped to serve them. A nonpublic school is a privately operated, publicly funded school that specializes in providing educational services for students with needs so exceptional that they cannot be met in a public school setting. (Learn more by reading the CACFS Nonpublic School Fact Sheet)

Sunny Hills Services’ Marin Academic Center, better known as MAC, is one of 369 certified nonpublic schools in the state of California and one of five in Marin County. MAC students present with a wide range of emotional and behavioral challenges –– including difficulties with social interaction, aggression toward others and self-injurious behavior. Our students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties stem from a variety of conditions in their home lives including family dysfunction, parent or sibling illness, and parental mental health and/or substance-abuse issues.

Among MAC’s student body:

• 60% of students have suffered some form of abuse or neglect.
• 40% of students are known or suspected victims of sexual abuse.
• 33% of students report having thought about committing suicide.
• 65% of students live below or close to the federal poverty level.

For these children, the Marin Academic Center is an oasis of support. MAC provides a quality, individualized education that addresses individual student’s needs, and builds upon their interests and fundamental desire to learn and grow. The ultimate goal for MAC students is successful reintegration into a less restrictive learning environment in which they are able to function more independently and continue to advance academically.

Certified nonpublic schools like MAC are regulated by the State Department of Education (DOE) and operate under a master contract with the educational agency that is responsible for student placements, in our case the Marin County Special Education Local Planning Area (SELPA) and a few other SELPAs located in the greater Bay Area region. These contracts detail every aspect of the agreement between the public agency and the nonpublic school including the negotiated daily rate, the method by which the nonpublic school is reimbursed for the services delivered.

Reimbursement rates vary according to the extent of services provided by the school, the individual needs of students served, and even the region of the state in which the nonpublic school is located. Rates are generally set, though can be increased annually in one of two ways: through a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and/or by the nonpublic school’s petition for an increase. In the case of the latter, the nonpublic school must appeal in writing to the educational agency responsible for overseeing the master contract.

As cutbacks to public spending for education have reached virtually every corner of this nation, staying afloat financially has become increasingly challenging for many schools and school districts. This is certainly the case for our nonpublic school.

The inevitable rise in the cost of doing business, such as increases to the cost of employee benefits and teacher salaries, has resulted in MAC’s reimbursement rate not being nearly adequate to fund our special education program at the level required—a situation that has been exacerbated by the fact that MAC has received only nominal increases to its reimbursement rate over the past five years, and no increase this year.

In response, Sunny Hills has committed to raise private philanthropic support to ensure MAC is able to continue to deliver the high quality services our students need and so deserve. The Marin Academic Center has received generous support from numerous members of our donor community since its inception more than thirty years ago. These gifts represent not only significant financial support, but a belief in and commitment to children at risk.

In a particular way, I would like to recognize several of our recent donors who have made it possible for us to weather these challenging economic times and continue to serve children who need our help: the J. Patrick and Irene Hunt Educational Fund at Sunny Hills, the In-N-Out Burger Foundation, the George H. Sandy Foundation, the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation, the James R. Sylla Education Fund at Sunny Hills, the Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign, and our generous volunteers, the Guilds and Auxiliary of Sunny Hills Services.

It is a privilege to be able to make a positive difference in another person’s life. On behalf of the children and families we serve, I would like to acknowledge these individuals by expressing our appreciation for your steadfast support of our mission. But, most importantly, I want you to know that your contributions have facilitated so many positive changes in the lives of vulnerable children. For that, you have my deepest gratitude.

P.S. The Marin Academic Center ushers in the 2009-2010 academic year on Monday, August 24th at its new, permanent home on Sunny Hills’ San Anselmo campus. If you are interested in touring our school, or simply need additional information, please contact Principal Jolene Yee at jyee@sunnyhillsservices.org.