WEST AMWELL: No shocks in special education review

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   WEST AMWELL — A special education audit at South Hunterdon Regional High School contains no surprises.
   It concludes with an assertion the school has long maintained in the face of criticism: The high rate of special education classifications stems from the elementary districts that send their students to South Hunterdon.
   A spokesman for one of the districts, Lambertville Public School, said many of the recommendations were already being addressed in its district.
   Special education consultant, Eileen Ware, conducted the review, which cost South Hunterdon $10,000. The results of the audit were presented earlier this month at the school.
   The report acknowledged that South Hunterdon “consistently exceeded the statewide average,” but said it was due to students entering the school who had already been classified at their elementary schools. It said the highest percentage of classifications come from LPS, and no new classifications have been made at South Hunterdon.
   ”I don’t think we learned anything earth-shattering or anything we weren’t already aware of,” LPS Board of Education President Steven Wolock said.
   ”Three recommendations stood out for me. One is that we need to improve articulation on all levels among the four districts. Another is that the child study team needs to be more present in the elementary schools. And the third is there are things the elementary schools can do to help children who are having difficulties before they are classified. We have been addressing all of those things already, but we plan to redouble our efforts,” added Mr. Wolock.
   THE AUDIT was part of a bargain reached with the school by the municipal governing bodies of its three sending districts — Lambertville, West Amwell and Stockton. The governing bodies were charged with cutting South Hunterdon’s budget when it failed in April for the third consecutive year.
   The state has ranked the school as having the highest comparative cost per pupil among 47 schools that serve grades seven to 12. The comparative cost per pupil at South Hunterdon is $21,789. Currently South Hunterdon has an enrollment of 351, and 70 students have been classified as needing some form of special education. That equates to almost 20 percent, exceeding the state average of 15 to 17 percent.
   In comparison, LPS has an enrollment of 186. Thirty-two students are classified as needing some form of special education. That equates to 17.2 percent. West Amwell Elementary has an enrollment of 246, and 18 are classified, or 7.3 percent. The Stockton Borough School has an enrollment of 41, with one classified, or 2.4 percent.
   This year special education costs make up 22 percent of South Hunterdon’s budget, including almost $200,000 for placements at private schools that best fit students’ needs. In 2008-09, the out-of-district placements cost South Hunterdon $450,877.
   South Hunterdon’s classifications decreased from a high of 24.5 percent in October 2007 to the five-year low of 19.9 percent in October 2010.
   Mr. Wolock complimented Ms. Ware’s examination of the program. He said, “Based on what I heard at the presentation, I feel that Eileen Ware did an excellent and thorough job analyzing the state of special education in the four South Hunterdon school districts. She focused on current conditions and the past five years. Her recommendations were for the most part practical and based on what’s best for kids.”
   Individual student records were not reviewed, according to the report.
   MS. WARE spent 12 days visiting the four districts. She interviewed 55 staff members and three business administrators, and observed 20 classes.
   Many of the special education students fall into the category of “specific learning disabled,” or SLD, the report said. The state defines SLD as “a severe discrepancy between the student’s current achievement and intellectual ability in one of eight areas including reading, written expression and math skills and comprehension.”
   The percentage of SLD students at South Hunterdon is 44. Statewide, the percentage is 38.
   ”Some of these students might not be classified if they received appropriate programs in regular education,” the report said in its recommendations. “Could better support services be offered to students in regular education, thereby possibly avoiding the need for classification?”
   The report said there should be no targeted number for reduction of special education students. It also said all four districts need to work and plan together to implement the recommendations.
   Recommendations include continuing “to provide appropriate programs in the least restrictive environment,” which is based on federal law. Also, monitoring of class sizes should continue, with adjustments in staffing numbers. The school also should plan ahead by reviewing the number, types of placements and types of disabilities from the elementary schools.
   The audit also says that an examination of the general education program is “vital and the key.”