School District 57 received nearly $13 million to fund the education of 745 children with special needs during the 2015/16 school year but there seems to be little oversight of how or where the money is spent.
The funding allocations provided to districts for special needs students are part of the operating grant funding formula and are not targeted funds. That means the funding is not attached to a specific student. Districts allocate their total operating grant across all their education programs in order to meet the needs of students across their district, said a Ministry of Education representative.
The school district has not had an audit done in regards to how it spends the money for children enrolled in special education since at least 2007 and there are no other records available online before 2007.
SD 57 is on the list of districts being considered for audit selection because of the time since they were last audited, the ministry spokesman said.
"Within the student funding is the salaries of people that offer the support for that child," said Sharon Cairns, interim SD 57 superintendent.
"So the funding would go towards educational assistants, resource teachers who create the student's individual education plan, it could be the psychologists who are doing the assessments and the behaviour support team to work with the school-based staff to work on strategies, so the money doesn't directly go to the students.
"So to meet the needs of a child with anxiety issues it may cost a little bit less than it is to deal with a child with violent tendencies and so one child from the same pot might be over funded compared to a child who has lesser behaviour issues," said Cairns.
There is an extended school-based team at each school that determines what kind of resources and assistance a student needs, added Cairns. The school-based team includes the principal or vice principal, a resource teacher and the teacher of the child, as well as a school psychologist, a behaviour team member and a youth care worker, depending on the school and the child. The child's needs dictate what supports are provided.
"Parents definitely have access to their child's green files and within that file is all the documentation the parent has provided or that the parent absolutely has access to," said Lisa Horswell, district principal of student support services located at the John McInnis Centre. "We do not do any testing without revealing the results of that testing to the parent. So they can absolutely request coming and looking at their child's green file."
The student support services department is responsible for doing quality review checks on individual education plans and on all the files to ensure enhanced service is being offered to the child, over and above what's being offered at the school level, said Horswell.
"If a parent is not getting satisfaction at the school level, they can talk to an assistant superintendent," said Cairns. "So you start at the classroom level, if that doesn't work, you go to the vice principal, if that doesn't work you go to the principal, if that doesn't work you just keep going up the line."
According to the Ministry of Education's special education services manual of policies, procedures and guidelines, children with special needs are assessed and placed according to need.
Supplementary funding continues to be provided to school boards in addressing the aspects of special education for students who meet criteria in Level 1, 2 or 3.
Level 1 includes students with multiple needs who are physically dependent or deafblind.
Level 2 includes students with moderate/profound intellectual disabilities, with physical disabilities or chronic health impairments, with visual impairments, with autism spectrum disorder, or students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Level 3 includes students needing intensive behaviour interventions or students with serious mental illness. Though the funding system changed, the obligations placed on school boards to address the special needs of students did not.
There are 26 children assessed at Level 1, where the funding level is $37,700 for each child, 514 children are assessed at Level 2 with a funding level of $18,850 for each, and 245 children assessed at Level 3 with funding level of $9,500 each.
The province encourages inclusive education where students with special needs are fully participating members in the learning community. In the Ministry of Education manual, inclusion means all students are entitled to equal access to education. This statement does not necessarily mean inclusion in the classroom but the student will be able to participate at some levels and there will be opportunity to interact with others.
In the manual it states parents are entitled to information about their child's attendance, behaviour and progress and upon request look at annual reports in regards to the effectiveness of educational programs offered in the school district.
Parents are entitled to examine all records kept by the board pertaining to their child, said the manual.
The Special Needs Students Order says that it is required that parents are offered a consultation about the placement of their child with special needs.
The manual also says parents' knowledge of their child can be helpful to school staff in planning educational programs geared for them.
Districts are advised to involve parents while creating and carrying out educational programs for their children. This consultation should be done quickly and in a supportive way, and the input of parents is to be respected and acknowledged.
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