Troubled students program gives District 203 more

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www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=310598&src=76

Troubled students program gives District 203 more options
By Melissa Jenco | Daily Herald

Naperville Unit District 203 will have an additional option this year to help students struggling with behavioral or emotional problems.

After addressing some remaining questions and concerns from last week, the school board on Thursday approved a three-year, $1.5 million contract for an alternative program for high school students who have been expelled or are in danger of being expelled.

Board members Terry Fielden and Dave Weeks recently visited the Abraxas facility in Woodridge where the alternative program will be housed and gave it good reviews.

Fielden said he was impressed with the location in a wooded area that would provide a relaxing atmosphere and places for outdoor learning and he found it to be secure.

Weeks, who initially had concerns about being a guinea pig for a new program with Abraxas, said he learned it is part of a large organization running programs in other cities and was impressed with the quality.

The program will include 20 special education students and 30 "alternative learning" students from District 203 who will be taught using the district's curriculum. They will also have a chance to attend counseling sessions, behavioral intervention sessions, community service, art therapy, physical education and aggression replacement training.

The district uses several alternative programs for high school students but administrators have said each has its limitations as to the types and number of students they could handle.

Kitty Murphy, assistant superintendent for student services and special education, said the Abraxas program will help students transition more quickly back into their regular school.

The district will pay $492,858 a year for three years for the 30 alternative learning students. Special education students will be at an additional cost to the district but will be covered in part by state dollars.

The district also will use some of its $3.8 million in federal stimulus money to pay for the new program.

The district will evaluate the program during the first two years. If it wants to continue with it beyond the three-year contract it will have to either find a new funding source or a different program to eliminate

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www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1694140,D203-stimulus-expulsions_na073109.article

D203 to use stimulus money to tackle expulsions

July 31, 2009

By TIM WALDORF [e-mail]
Student expulsions in Naperville School District 203 have tripled the last two years. Thursday, its board allocated a chunk of federal stimulus funds to address the problem.

District 203 has been given $3.8 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and it must spend the money in a very restricted way by Sept. 30, 2011. Much of the cash must go toward starting or supplementing new programs rather than funding existing ones.

Consequently, $681,234 will go toward providing a new alternative high school program to District 203 students who are at risk of being expelled, those with multiple suspensions, significant truancy and those who have been unsuccessful in other settings. The district currently uses several alternative programs, each designed to serve students who need different kinds of out-of-district instruction. This program is designed to help students transition back into their regular schools, which isn't the case with some other alternative programs.

It will deliver a full day of District 203 curriculum to 20 special education students and 30 "alternative learning" students who may or may not have special needs. The program would include a full day of instruction using the District 203 curriculum. It would offer positive behavioral interventions, community service, art therapy, physical education and aggression replacement training, as well as drug, alcohol and family counseling services.

"With what I've seen in other alternative learning programs, I'm very excited about it because it's our curriculum. Nobody else offers that," said Kitty Murphy, District 203's assistant superintendent for special education and student services. "We're involved in the staffing. Even though we are not doing the hiring as 203 staff, the quality of the staff that we have seen ... has been very high.

"And I think the other thing that I really like about it is I think that we are going to have an opportunity to really get these kids back to our high schools much more quickly than we would by sending them out to some other sort of program."

The program, which will be provided by Abraxas, will cost the district about $1.5 million during the next three years, or $16,428 a year per student, which is about $5,000 cheaper than most other programs.

The remaining $797,340 needed to pay for the program will come from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and from general state aide.

Some board members expressed qualms about approving the program. Some were concerned about spending so much money on a program that serves so few students. Others were worried about where the money would come from to continue the program once federal funding runs dry.

"What we know is that we have a commitment for three years," said Superintendent Mark Mitrovich. "Beyond three years, there is no commitment. And that may be a little disconcerting for us to deal with, but it's the reality in this kind of budget climate that we're dealing with currently. And I think more and more the pressure is on to show the efficacy of these programs.

"I don't think that anybody is backing away from that," Mitrovich added. "I just think that we want to be as informed as we can going in, because I would submit that probably the next decision on the renewal of this is either going to be a fairly straight-forward decision in terms of performance, and we've made a decision that it is worthwhile, or it may, in fact, be an even more difficult decision than it is right now."

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If it wants to continue with it beyond the three-year contract it will have to either find a new funding source or a different program to eliminate

The district currently uses several alternative programs

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the bulk of the cost of the new program is already being spent by the district, either via regular courses or through alternative programs. In other words, they're already probably spending 8-10k or more on each of these students.