Rye School Board Blasts State Cuts to Special Education

State budget cuts could impose severe cost increases and mandates on the Rye City School District this fiscal year, as the state may now require the district to fund special education services that have long been its responsibility.

District Superintendent Ed Shine and Business Manager Kathleen Ryan addressed the topic during their presentation of the district's proposed 2010-2011 budget Tuesday.

While several expenditures were sticking points, those caused by the proposed state budget cuts, particularly to the district's special education programs, left an especially sour note among some board members.

The state and the county currently fund the district's pre-school special education and summer special education programs, which, according to Ryan, are not included in the governor's budget proposal.

"The governor, in his budget proposal, is very interested in shifting the costs for the summer special education services that are provided, as well as the preschool special education services to three and four year olds, to the school district," Ryan said. "So this would be a big unfunded mandate."

As of now, the district only pays 20 percent of the summer special education costs, but the governor's proposal would increase that figure to 90 percent.

"State funding varies by school district. It ranges from 10 percent to 80 percent and this district only qualifies for 10 percent," Ryan said. "For preschool-aged special education programs [the governor] is proposing to skip the county's exposure entirely, passing the costs onto the school district."

Many board members were dumbfounded as they consider these programs vital to the success of the district's disabled students.

"If your disability is severe, you need summer school so that you haven't lost time when you go back in September and need re-educating instead of moving forward," Board Member Young Kim said. "It stops the state's most severely disabled children from regressing so they can keep learning."

Many board members were particularly frustrated that the state is not considering shifting this cost burden to the county and that the responsibility is being placed solely on the districts.

"I think if we're looking to cut costs at the local level, the state needs to be looking at the budget at the county level and not shift costs to the local school districts," Board member Edward Fox said emphatically, "This is a legislature trying to shift the budget to make [its budget] look better."