Sound Shore Consortium Consolidates Costs By Sharing Special Education Services

School officials across the state are facing a bleak situation trying to prepare next year's school budgets without drastic tax hikes and layoffs. State aid cuts loom ominously and operating costs continue to balloon.

Help may be found in school districts working together to share mutual costs and consolidate services. The Sound Shore Consortium is one such group: eight school districts that have been implementing consolidated cost-saving measures for the last 15 years.

The group includes the Rye Neck, Rye, Blind Brook, Mamaroneck,  Harrison, Port Chester, White Plains and Byram Hills school districts.

Rye Neck Superintendent Dr. Peter Mustich leads the group's efforts. According to Mustich, the group's school officials have been able to consolidate costs for everything from sports equipment to curriculum materials to professional development.

"It started out as a federal grant, an opportunity for districts to learn to work together," he explained. "We originally applied for the grant 15 years ago to consolidate district-wide professional development."

One of the most effective cost-savings measures operated through the consortium is the management of special education services.  While districts are sometimes able to provide the necessary staffing and resources for a child without sending them to a private school or a regional program through Southern-Westchester BOCES, often there aren't enough children with a particular disability in one district to form an entire class.

Byram Hills Schools Superintendent Dr. Jacquelyn Taylor explained that children whose Individual Learning Programs (IEPs) indicate they cannot be served by their home district are often able to attend programs in other consortium schools through a referral process.

"It's an alternative to out-of-district placement in a school outside of our area, or BOCES placement," Taylor said. "These are programs within our own public schools and are programs that are run by each of our districts. The mainstreaming opportunities are strong for children and they're in a public school environment. The reason it's cost effective is because we offer each other a consortium rate."

Mustich said that the consortium rate is lower than BOCES and other programs.

The consortium districts' boards voted in favor of a $24,000 tuition rate per pupil for the 2010-2011 school year. Costs for additional services---a 1-1 aide, for instance--are extra.

"For some children the costs are very high, but for a child to attend a regional program, the cost can be up to $60,000 for children with severe disabilities," Taylor said. "BOCES does an excellent job with the children they service, and we acknowledge that, but we're looking for cost-effective approaches."

The programs may include services to children with emotional difficulties, developmental delays or autism.

Taylor explained that the programs set up through the consortium are entirely contingent upon the needs of the districts' students. If there aren't enough students with a particular disability to set up an entire class, children would likely be sent to a SW BOCES program or a private program.

White Plains Public School District Superintendent Christopher Coulet said that because the district is the largest in the Consortium, it usually has more students participating in its programs.

One of the district's special education services is a program called SAIL. It enables severely disabled students attend school and receive transition services to the community, employment or living arrangements when they're 20 or 21 years old.

JoAnn Doherty, White Plains Co-Director for Special Education, explained that SAIL has 12 students in the high school and 12 in the middle school. Two of the students come from other Consortium districts.

"This program is very full for the students. They have one class in life skills and learn tasks like cooking, shopping, handling money and talking on the phone," she said. "Students also attend classes in content areas like English, math, social studies and science and have a vocational program through which they go to job sites several times a week as they get older."

Taylor and Mustich noted that because the Consortium districts are able to monitor programs like SAIL, there's a smaller approach than BOCES programs, which have about 30 participating districts.

Mustich sees the success of the Consortium's cost-consolidation efforts as a sign that school districts should be granted more self-governance than the state currently allows.

"I think the bigger issue here is local control," Mustich said. "Do you really want the state deciding what happens in your school district?"

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story indicated seven school districts were a part of the consortium. There are actually eight, which includes Mamaroneck. The story has been updated to reflect this correction.