Maine schools struggle to send special education students to private schools as costs skyrocket

Behavioral health specialist Sierra Wilson works with students during a math class Friday at Greene Central School. Maine School District 52, based in Turner, has partnered with Margaret She Murphy Children's Center to maintain special education classes within the district. Wilson is an employee of the Margaret Murphy Program. Darin Slover/Sun Journal

A little-known change in state mandates is forcing local school districts to set aside thousands more dollars in special education costs next year, and some districts, including Lewiston, will likely have to set aside millions more for special education next year. It will be secured.

The changes, which went into effect last year, were technical. And expensive ones. Students who need special education services not available in their home district will be sent to special purpose private schools, where each student will be paid based on the number of days they attend.

But starting last year, the state required school districts to pay private schools an annual fee per child, regardless of the number of days the child attended.

As a result, many school districts in Maine have seen significant increases in special education costs, and as many districts prepare their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, they will be looking to continue to pay for those costs. I'm having a hard time.

Auburn Public Schools is proposing to increase private school funding by more than $200,000 next school year.

Costs for private schools in Area Schools Unit 4, which includes Sabbatas, Lichfield and Wales, are expected to increase by more than $335,000 in the next academic year. RSU 12 in Sheepscott Valley, east of Augusta, will spend an additional $75,000 on private schools next school year. The district serves students in the towns of Aluna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Westport Island, Whitefield, and Windsor.

Behavioral health specialist Sierra Wilson, right, works with students during a math class Friday at Greene Central School. Maine School District 52, based in Turner, has partnered with Margaret Murphy Children's Center to maintain special education classes within the district. Wilson is an employee of the Margaret Murphy Program. Darin Slover/Sun Journal

Lewiston school officials are proposing to increase next year's special education budget by about $7 million, due in part to increased costs associated with sending students to private schools, Superintendent Jake Langley said. That's what it means.

Lewiston is spending about $15 million this school year to send 133 students to private schools, including the Sweeser and Sparwink programs.

The cost of sending special education students to private schools has become so high that Lenglet wants to expand the school division's special education program to the point where most of the students can be returned to city schools, which would save money. I believe.

The school division plans to expand the program over the next three years and is considering using part of one of the city's school buildings, he said. We then plan to expand the program to an entire building or more in the coming years, depending on the amount of space available.

Lenglet said changes in private school funding models, tuition increases at many private schools, and other related special education costs have all caused school departments to place so many students in out-of-district programs. He said that this is a factor that makes the long-term deployment unsustainable.

The school district is understaffed.

But many other schools, faced with soaring private school fees, are not considering expanding their special education programs due to staffing shortages.

Gardiner-based Maine School District 11 is budgeting for a $378,000 increase in private school tuition next year, according to Superintendent Pat Hopkins. It also plans to spend an additional $100,000 to transport these students to private schools.

The district has 10 students enrolled in private schools and two more are expected, she said. Next school year, the district plans to enroll 12 students in private schools, with the possibility of five more.

The growing number of students requiring private schools is straining the district's limited space and resources, and the district has several special education vacancies that it has not been able to fill, prompting officials to replace existing special education programs. It has become impossible to consider expansion of the

Deanna Jolin teaches a small group of special education students with individual needs through in-house programming at Connors Elementary School in Lewiston on Tuesday. Andriy Khan/Sun Journal

“Given staffing constraints, it is not practical to start another program,” she said. “And we don’t even have the space we need to even consider establishing our own program.”

The RSU 10 special purpose private school's budget, based in Rumford, is expected to increase by nearly 44 percent next school year, according to Superintendent Deb Alden. The district has budgeted $1.9 million for special education next year, an increase of $591,123.84 from this year.

The increase is primarily due to higher per diem rates for private schools and an increase in the number of students in the district attending private schools, she said. Similar to MSAD 11, the district is short on special education positions.

Alden said she would like to serve more students through programs within the district, but doesn't know how to staff them. It's a problem,” he said.

Find the MSAD 52 Partner Program

Turner-based MSAD 52 began a partnership with the Margaret Murphy Children's Center this school year to implement the Margaret Murphy Program within one of its schools, Greene Central School.

Superintendent Kari Medd said the program will cover nine elementary school students this school year and will allow the district to reduce some of the cost of private school tuition. Although the district won't see any cost savings until next school year, it expects to save about $267,000. The district wants to expand its programs slowly and thoughtfully to ensure student success.

Maine School District 11 Superintendent Pat Hopkins speaks during a forum at Gardiner Regional Middle School in Gardiner, Nov. 10, 2015. The Gardiner-based school district is budgeting to increase private school tuition by $378,000 in 2024-2025, Hopkins said. He also expects to spend an additional $100,000 on transportation for these students to and from private schools. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal File

However, Medd said the district still expects private school tuition to increase by $121,000 next school year. She hopes the Margaret Murphy Program will help students at a younger age and lead to better educational outcomes as they get older, requiring less school-based support.

She said the district had tried without success to develop its own program to meet the full needs of elementary-level students with behavioral issues, which prompted the partnership with the Margaret Murphy Center. said.

The program served nine students this school year, exceeding its enrollment goal of serving eight children in its first year, said Michelle Hathaway, director of the Margaret Murphy Children's Center. Margaret Her Murphy saves some of the overhead costs, which reduces the district's tuition costs.

She said some students in the district have to attend private schools outside of the program, but the partnership will keep more students within the district.

Hathaway said she knows many schools that have found they cannot save money by building their own special education programs for students with very high needs. In those situations, staff turnover and supervision needs increased costs beyond what the district would have paid for private school tuition, she said.

Gardiner-based Maine Schools District 11 Superintendent Pat Hopkins praises the new Maine Cabin Masters outdoor science classroom built at Gardiner Regional High School during an open house Dec. 19, 2023 did. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel File

“The reality is that there is no inexpensive way to provide acute care, education, and treatment programs to children with severe disabilities,” she says. “Meeting the needs of these children requires truly extraordinary skills, experience, and clinical support, which is next to impossible to build urgently and quickly across many rural parts of Maine. .”

The federal government issues orders but does not necessarily fund the mandates

Hathaway cited a lack of state and federal funding for the district's special education programs as the biggest factor driving up the budget. In addition, many school districts are facing general staffing shortages in all areas of education.

The federal government sets special education obligations that states and school districts must meet, and states have discretion over how much funding to provide to school districts, she said. The remaining funding is up to each school district.

Gay Ann MacDonald, director of the Maine Disabled Children Services Administration, said the state sets a per-student daily tuition rate for each licensed private school, but the amount varies by school. , the school district is responsible for paying the daily tuition fee. Provide assistance to districts. This may include the cost of professional services not included in tuition fees.

He said private schools can bill MaineCare for some services if the student has it. The school district is responsible for reimbursing his MaineCare for a certain amount of these costs. Many administrators refer to this as the MaineCare SEED cost.

The state will provide additional funding for special education costs, but it won't cover all costs, she said. If a school district reaches a certain amount of out-of-district costs, the state provides additional funding.

Medd said the partnership between MSAD 52 and the Margaret Murphy Center will allow other school districts to replicate the provision of services within the district's facilities, reducing costs and keeping children in the district's schools. thinking about.

Margaret Murphy's staff are “fantastic and well-integrated into the school and school administration. The staff use their expertise and the ability to bring students to work with us every day, rather than having them attend another program outside the district.” I appreciate being with them,” she said. .

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