The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees special ed students extra help no matter how much it costs.
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees special ed students extra help no matter how much it costs.
Can IEP Teams Say “No” To Special Education Services Based on Money Woes? No, No and No!
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995
Oftentimes parents attend an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, and although their child needs additional services to meet his or her goals, can be denied needed services based on reasons such as: “no funding,” or “we just don’t have the resources,” or “that is not available here as there are no staff.” Are these legitimate reasons to deny a student services that will meet their unique needs? No!
The whole special education system can be very overwhelming for parents and they often “trust” the IEP team to guide them on what their child should or should not receive as far as services, placement, and education. Parents may also simply accept an IEP team denial of services based on money woes of the school district. However, regardless of the funding problems school districts seem to be having right now, they cannot deny special education services based on those issues. If a student requires a service (e.g. resource class, speech therapy, or a one-on-one aide) to receive an appropriate education to meet their unique needs, the district should provide the service.
If a district wants to deny services, they have to do so legitimately. In other words, do a thorough assessment to evaluate, and prove the service is not needed. If they do this, they may be able to “legitimately” defend themselves on a decision to reduce or deny services. However, the bottom line is that many districts still will flat out say that “we can’t afford speech and language therapy,” and tell the parent to take a hike. Sorry to say, but that is not legitimate.
If the district does not have staff to provide a service such as speech and language therapy, and the special needs student requires that service, the district has to provide the service another way. For example, the district can pay a private therapist to deliver the speech and language therapy off site and can also pay for transportation to and from the therapy. The district can’t just say the child won’t receive the service as they don’t have the staff. If the child needs the service to meet their unique needs, it needs to be provided one way or another.
This is one reason why recording IEP meetings is so crucial. Often parents can document denials based on lack of money simply by recording the meeting. When a school/district representative says “we don’t offer speech and language due to the budget crisis,” or words to that effect, the parents have a valid argument which they can later raise in a due process hearing to overcome the denial.
If a school or district is denying services based on money, parents need to stand up and say that is an unacceptable reason for the denial and demand the service be provided.
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Posted in Autism, Education, Schiller Park School District 81, Special Education
Tagged IDEA, Special Education
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Girl Scout Cookies and Wine Pairings
It’s our favorite time of year once again—Girl Scout Cookies are here! We’ve added new editors’ picks of great beers to celebrate the season with and a collection of cookie-and-beer pairings we compiled from around the web. Let’s hear your favorite pairings!
https://beerandbrewing.com/VKm9gisAAF-R_rap/article/beer-pairings-for-girl-scout-cookies-2016-update
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New Bill Just Introduced in Springfield to Expand Gambling
The Illinois General Assembly gambling bill includes six new casinos in Chicago, Lake County, Rockford, South Suburbs, Danville, Williamson County, slots at tracks
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Ald. Ameya Pawar Throws First Official Hat in Democratic Ring for Illinois Governor
For a sitting, massively rich Republican governor who just added $50 million in personal cash to his re-election campaign, a sitting Chicago alderman with a measly $50,000 probably doesn’t seem much of a threat.And perhaps pro-business, union-critic Governor Bruce Rauner has nothing to worry about from 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar, a liberal (progressive, if you prefer) who has decided to take him on.
Pawar, 36, made it official as of Tuesday.
“I am running because we’ve gotten to a point in this country where wealth worship is the only qualifier for public office, trumping public policy. Chopping benefits or declaring strategic bankruptcy or selling companies off in pieces for profit is somehow seen as the secret ingredient for an Illinois utopia,” said Pawar.
The case he plans to make? In his words, “Government should be aspirational. People like to tell us how terrible government is but it was the federal government after the Great Depression that created the middle class. And sent a man to the moon.”
Pawar, an Indian-American, who holds three graduate degrees in urban planning, disaster management and social policy, is accustomed to being discounted.
It was in the Spring of 2011 in the Machine fortress 47th ward that Pawar was written off by a pile of prominent progressives like Mike Quigley, Forrest Claypool, Heather Steans, Bridget Gainer, and last but not least, Rahm Emanuel whose Ravenswood house is in the ward. The whole pack of them went with retiring alderman Eugene Schulter’s anointed pick, Tom O’Donnell.
But Pawar, earnest and intelligent, outworked and outguessed them all, knocked on every door, and resonated with fed-up homeowners who complained they hadn’t seen or heard a new idea from their politicos in a long, long time.
And so Pawar beat the machine and the Progressives with 50.8 percent of the vote, enough to win free and clear without a runoff.
The best piece written about his victory was done by The Reader’s Ben Joravsky:
It’s a great read and, following the general election of 2016 where we once again saw conventional political wisdom upended, it’s a reminder that we sometimes fail to see the rebellion that’s right in front of us.
Pawar, for his part, has tried to be a consensus builder in City Council. Sometimes to his credit, sometimes not. But he has worked hard, been thoughtful, and so far, is still idealistic enough not to be under the yoke of the Mayor nor a member of the Old Guard. Nor is he a full partner of the Progressive Caucus.
One of his greatest fights has been in behalf of quality public high schools in his ward.
Does Pawar have the wherewithal to go up against the potential primary election cash of Democratic billionaires (Chris Kennedy & JB Pritzker)? Or to take on, maybe, a couple of state senators (Kwame Raoul & Andy Manar), a pair of congresswomen (Robin Kelly & Cheri Bustos) or an Attorney General named Madigan?
He’s decided to try.
And so, as of early Tuesday morning, Ameya Pawar tells Roy F. McCampbell he’s in.
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Posted in Economy, Education, Elections, Finance, Franklin Park, Horse Racing, Illinois Pensions, News, O'Hare Noise, Schiller Park, Schiller Park Commentaries, Taxation, Union
Tagged governor, Illinois, Pawar
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Is Illinois Going to Have A Budget Soon ?
A plan to end a two-year Illinois budget standoff negotiated in the Senate — which likely includes an income tax increase as well as items on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda — could get a vote in Springfield as early as Monday, a leading Republican senator said Sunday.
The deal was still shaping up over the weekend after weeks of talks between Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and GOP Leader Christine Radogno, said Sen. Pamela Althoff, a Republican from McHenry.
While it would mark a significant step toward smashing the logjam on a state spending plan between Republican Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders, there are just two work days remaining for the current General Assembly — no time to seek a House vote.
But it could position the Senate as distinct in what has largely been a test of wills between the billionaire governor and Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan, house speaker for three decades. Rauner often invokes Madigan’s name to represent the entire legislature.
Althoff, the Republican caucus chairwoman and a budget point-person, called the action “recognition” by Senate leadership that “we need to take care of the people of Illinois.”
“They’ve been working feverishly to come up with a plan that can be presented and crafted into a solution — a true budget deal,” Althoff said.
Cullerton spokesman John Patterson declined comment Sunday. Steve Brown, spokesman for Madigan, said he could not comment on the Senate’s potential substance or strategy because the House hadn’t been included in the talks.
Althoff said the plan would include increased revenue — Democrats have argued that Rauner’s opposition to continuing a temporary income tax increase as he prepared to enter office in 2015 knocked the budget off-kilter and hastened the flow of red ink.
But it would also put checkmarks in several boxes on Rauner’s agenda, including term limits on legislators to rotate out “career politicians” the governor believes hurt the system and a freeze on local property taxes he says is choking homeowners. To this point, Democrats have argued those are “non-budget items” that should be negotiated separately.
And it might include a plan to borrow billions of dollars to pay down overdue bills — which topped $11 billion on Friday — to vendors and service providers.
Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly did not comment Sunday. On Friday, the governor told reporters in Carbondale he knew few of the details but said, “I’m optimistic that Democrats and Republicans will continue to negotiate in good faith to come up with changes to our system so it’s not broken anymore.”
The refusal to budge on either side has forced Illinois to limp along for two years without an approved spending plan. Government has functioned largely on the strength of court-ordered spending for social services and lawmakers’ piecemeal appropriation action. But 1 million or more people relying on mental health, substance abuse treatment or domestic violence prevention funded with state dollars had been cut off.
Rauner’s budget office predicts a $5.3 billion deficit on June 30, the end of the fiscal year, in addition to the mountain of past-due bills.
Legislative leaders this week scheduled only two days — Monday and Tuesday — to tie up loose ends before a new General Assembly is sworn in on Wednesday. It will be the 100th General Assembly, which will serve during the Prairie State’s bicentennial in 2018.
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Posted in Economy, Education, Elections, Finance, Franklin Park, Illinois Pensions, News, Schiller Park, Schiller Park School District 81, Special Education, Taxation, Union
Tagged budget, Cullerton, Illinois, Madigan, Rauner
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Illinois Residents Movin’ On
United Van Lines reports that Illinois is Number 2 is the ratio of people moving out versus those moving in. 63% of the loads are leaving Illinois.
I wonder where weather would be categorized.
Interesting that young people are moving into Illinois.
This does not match the Census Bureau information, as you can see below.
The income data is not the same as that provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here is the relevant paragraph from a Wall Street Journal article reporting on Illinois Census data:
“The numbers are especially worrisome for the state’s tax base because the average person moving out of the state earns some $20,000 more than the average person moving in.”
Found this related information on Capitol Fax Blog:
From David Jacobson at Moody’s Investors Service…
On p. 5 of its new Weekly Credit Outlook for Public Finance released today, Moody’s notes the State of Illinois (rated Baa2/negative outlook) has experienced a third consecutive annual population drop in 2016, a credit negative underscoring tepid growth trends that will complicate efforts to enact a balanced budget and keep up with mounting pension funding pressures.
United Van Lines driving past Crystal Lake’s Main Beach.
From 2013-16 as the national population increased 2.2%, Illinois shrank by 0.6% as thousands of residents departed for other states.
Illinois was one of only four states to see population declines each year for the period 2014 through 2016, according to Census Bureau data released on December 20.
Net migration has had a negative impact on populations in 31 states since the last census, while helping population growth primarily in states that serve as retirement havens or that have strong economies.
But the case of Illinois appears more severe; its annual outflow of residents steadily worsened during the past three years.
Based on the Census Bureau’s state-to-state migration estimates for 2015 (the most recent available), many of the top destination states for those leaving Illinois were adjacent or nearby states, such as Indiana (Aaa/stable) or Michigan (Aa1/stable), which both featured faster job growth.
Other top destinations for those leaving Illinois included Arizona (Aa2/stable), California (Aa3/stable) and Florida (Aa1/stable).
Population loss can be a cause, as well as an effect, of economic deterioration.
A self-reinforcing cycle of population loss and economic stagnation could greatly complicate Illinois’ efforts to stabilize its finances.
Even assuming the state reaches a consensus on addressing its current operating deficit and benefits from steady economic growth, Illinois’ pension funding requirements as a share of budget likely will rise to 30% (from about 23% currently) in coming years.
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Posted in Economy, Education, Elections, Finance, Illinois Pensions, O'Hare Noise, politics, Taxation, Union
Tagged Illinois, leaving illinois, moving
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Support SMG During January, 2017
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Posted in Education, Food, Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Social Media
Tagged Positanos, SMG, St Maria Goretti
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Roy F. McCampbell's Blog 
Can Illinois Have A Budget Deal without Madigan ?
Possible budget deal in the Illinois Senate announced this afternoon. But where is the Illinois House and Mike Madigan?
Details remain fluid, but the Senate began moving multiple pieces of legislation Monday that include an increase in the income tax to 4.95 percent, up from the current 3.75 percent; a penny-per-ounce tax on soda and other sweetened beverages; new casinos, including one in Chicago; and a hike in the minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $11 an hour by 2021. The new revenue would in part be used to pay off roughly $7 billion in new borrowing to help pay down the state’s $11 billion backlog of unpaid bills.
Other proposals include an overhaul the state’s public employee pension system, consolidation of local units of government and a change in rules for how schools do contracts with outside vendors. The package would also include funding for universities and social service providers, which dried up Jan. 1. Efforts to overhaul the workers compensation system and freeze property taxes still had not been written into a bill as of early Monday afternoon, but those are key issues Rauner and Republicans have pushed for.
Stopgap budget set to expire, returning Rauner-Madigan standoff to where it was last summer
It’s unclear if the Senate would vote on the ideas later Monday. Democrats and Republicans are huddling separately behind closed doors to go over the proposals, which could easily derail any movement should major opposition arise.
Even if the measures don’t get a Senate vote, the effort allows Senate lawmakers to send a signal that they will not take a back seat to the House, which is tightly controlled by Madigan. Democrats there are weighing a different budget proposal that would tap into special funds to funnel money to universities and social service providers.
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