Thank you for this information. Just curious why Port Chester's general and special education expenditures are lower than anyone else? I have also noticed that their annual exam rates have gone up over the last couple of years. What is the formula for their success?

Where is Mt. Vernon and Yonkers?

How about Scarsdale?

How about less public money for everybody and stop with the whining.

I think we need to make sure everyone that attends school in a particular district resides in that district. That should save $$ right away.

Editor's Note: We received this information from Mary Ellen Melnyk, Assistant Superintendent of Business at Eastchester schools:

The Bronxville-Eastchester Patch article indicates that the Eastchester UFSD special education cost for 2007-08 was $14,532,967 for 292 students or $49,770 per student. However, the article does not deduct the actual revenue for out of district special education students who are in our program. The revenue for 2007/08 was $3,198,430. Therefore, the actual cost (using their number of $14,532,967) would be minus the revenue of $3,198,430 which equals $11,334,537 divided by 292 or $38,817.

Reseacrh done by the National Institute for Early Education Research found that investments made in early childhood education (i.e. half and full day pre-k programs for children 3 & up) had long term benefits and savings in education expenditures over the academic life of a child. For every $1 invested, the return was an average $7 in terms of having less students held back, less students in need of remedial or special education services, and also a decline in drop-out rates and juvenile delinquency. Given that Albany is looking to slash close to $2 million from Port Chester alone -- not to mention the major cuts in other districts in the area -- they should take into consideration the long-term effects and the unintended consequences to withdraw such an investment. It's very easy to see how early childhood education provides students with an advantage and the potential for success. This type of approach might make the columns in the chart above a bit more balanced. With special education funding, among other early childhood education programs on the butcher block, it is urgent for law makers to see how reckless these cuts are going to be for the long term.

As the Mom of a child that receives special education in a specialized program for autistic spectrum disorders in Lakeland, I always find myself grateful for the balancing act that our district performs. Investing in our children now should make as many of them as possible independent as adults; therefore costing the nation less in the longrun. They will be able to contribute to society in many ways, rather than rely on the government forever. Education truly is one of the best ways to cut governmental costs in the longrun.

Do these expenditures also include the cost of legal fees that are inherent when educating a special needs students because if the schools did it right and followed the law then legal expenses would not be so high and most likely averaged in.

Terri, do you mean the costs legal costs for a child to be classified? All special education students are initially brought up at at a CSE meeting (Committee on Special Education) that in turn determines the classification assigned to a child and the services he/she will need. Each year, a subsequent CSE evaluation is required to determine progress and possible changes to the student's accommodations. Sometimes, parents do bring along legal counsel. In response. some districts will also have a legal representative (either in-house, or retained) to help facilitate the process and to arrive at an agreement. When districts do not uphold an existing plan (i.e. a 504 plan or IEP), there could be legal ramifications and proceedings beyond the CSE. The substantial costs in accommodating a special education child in an inclusion program result from the mandated day-to-day support -- be it a certified special education teacher, or a teaching assistant to help a child in his or her classes. But there are also self-contained classes. These classes typically have students who are low performing, and require an environment where there is a very low student-teacher ratio. Hence, a teacher in a self contained class may be salaried on the same scale as one who is not self-contained, yet the low class numbers drives up the per pupil costs for these classified students.

No more money for any reason until taxes become affordable. Get used to it.

Yeah. Here we go. 'Mandates.' Sort of like saying, 'The Devil Made Me Do It." No excuses. Cutting costs across the board is the only strategy that will save us for now.

There are "no excuses" in dismissing the needs of a child with disabilities. These rights are protected under "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA) -- a Congressional statute -- and to cut corners in any way with these children means that you are breaking the law. For any district to ignore this statute, there will be a lot more for them to worry about other than balancing a budget.

OMG. Please grow a pair.

http://harrison.patch.com/articles/school-district-parent-group-at-odds-over-tracking

Mr Reis ...please respond to this article..maybe you can make them understand?

Thanks, Ms. M-, for the link. Tracking is a loaded issue; you can never make everyone happy. I gather from your experience that your child -- who has special needs -- wouldn't have had the opportunity if it weren't for open enrollment. Am I correct in that assumption? Speaking from experience, I believe that issues pertaining to tracking, learning ability, & special needs are to a degree mutually exclusive. You need to evaluate the student irrespective of what the district's scores may be. Likewise, you should judge a district irrespective of one student's performance. A student may have special needs ranging from learning disabilities to emotional ones, & may still be able to succeed in an advanced, honors, or AP class. I believe every child deserves that chance. I've seen students who read below grade level, but are savants in math. The problem for some districts is providing support for these special students who may have a mixed schedule of leveled classes. Some special needs students end up being unsupported in these higher level classes. It's then a matter of equity. Who is first in line to get support? Hence, the altruistic call for tracking is to prevent academic failure. To me, open enrollment is the ideal. Teachers, parents, and administrators will naturally see it differently. I feel it's most important to include the opinion of the most neglected participant in this process -- the student. If a child is willing, then provide the opportunity.

“Few issues are as critical to the future of our state as reforming our education system. Right now we rank number one in the nation in spending per student and number 34 in student achievement. Worse still, these poor results are coming after a decade of record spending increases in education funding. Throwing money at the problem is not the answer.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo

Gov. Cuomo cherry picked that number. Here's a little context. The "34th in the nation" statement goes back to an obscure 2007 Census statistic that refers to all of NY's adults over the age 25 with a high school diploma. It encompasses present-day adults, their parents, and even their grandparents; it doesn't measure present day students in NY's schools. To get a broader picture of NY's education progress, consider the "Annual AP Report to the Nation" from the College Board (2010) & "Quality Counts" from Education Week (2011), which provide a better picture of NY's rankings:
a) 1st in the nation in closing the achievement gap in 4th grade reading and 8th grade math
b) 3rd in the nation in AP test scores
c) 4th in the nation in improving high school graduation rates
d) 4th in the nation for students enrolled in college with a post-secondary degree.

Time to get with the program. After years of rising property taxes, do you really think many people believe more money = better education?

“A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood” Chinese Proverb