As part of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, the Liberty County Board of Education has received more than $2 million for special education funding. With just over $1 million going toward funding 46 special education teacher aides, the board has about $1 million left to allocate.
At the board’s monthly meeting, Rebecca Kelly, executive director of the division for exceptional learning, provided recommendations for how to spend the money.
Her recommendations include:
• Three instructional coaches for the team-teaching classes (for two years)
• One instructional coach for the MOID/SID/PID, autism and pre-k classes (for two years)
• An additional teacher at Lewis Frasier Middle School (one year)
• A week (in June) of autism training for nine teachers and their aides (pay consultants and stipends for participants, purchase materials)
• One employee to obtain board certified behavior analyst status to assist with teachers of students displaying atypical behaviors
• $1,600 per student at local GNETS (Coastal Academy) will be given to the school to help pay for an instructional coach.
According to Mark Hamil, director of Coastal Academy, any funds will help replace recent state cuts in the special ed program.
“We have suffered significant cuts in state funding,” he said. “My program lost about $175,000 this year.”
The funding, according to Hamil, is primarily meant to save and recover positions. He said appropriate training and a sufficient number of instructors are important components of the program.
Kelly said she too is glad to see money to go to instructors.
“We are profoundly grateful and want to do things that make a difference. I think instructional coaches to support our teachers have been needed for a long time,” she said. “The training we are providing to teachers and paras will be beneficial to our students.”
The board also received about $50,000 for the pre-k special education program. Kelly recommended hiring a fourth teacher.
“It will have an impact for a couple of years,” Hamil said.
At the board’s monthly meeting, Rebecca Kelly, executive director of the division for exceptional learning, provided recommendations for how to spend the money.
Her recommendations include:
• Three instructional coaches for the team-teaching classes (for two years)
• One instructional coach for the MOID/SID/PID, autism and pre-k classes (for two years)
• An additional teacher at Lewis Frasier Middle School (one year)
• A week (in June) of autism training for nine teachers and their aides (pay consultants and stipends for participants, purchase materials)
• One employee to obtain board certified behavior analyst status to assist with teachers of students displaying atypical behaviors
• $1,600 per student at local GNETS (Coastal Academy) will be given to the school to help pay for an instructional coach.
According to Mark Hamil, director of Coastal Academy, any funds will help replace recent state cuts in the special ed program.
“We have suffered significant cuts in state funding,” he said. “My program lost about $175,000 this year.”
The funding, according to Hamil, is primarily meant to save and recover positions. He said appropriate training and a sufficient number of instructors are important components of the program.
Kelly said she too is glad to see money to go to instructors.
“We are profoundly grateful and want to do things that make a difference. I think instructional coaches to support our teachers have been needed for a long time,” she said. “The training we are providing to teachers and paras will be beneficial to our students.”
The board also received about $50,000 for the pre-k special education program. Kelly recommended hiring a fourth teacher.
“It will have an impact for a couple of years,” Hamil said.