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Funding cut to special education program
By Emily Beckett Published 7:18pm Friday, August 3, 2012As funding is cut, staff and programs are inevitably cut also at schools throughout Alabama, including Chilton County.
On the cusp of the new school year, the cuts might continue.
A local program called the Chilton County Transition Program, or Job Training Program, is in danger of dissolving if a feasible solution can’t be found to fund it.
The program is part of the Chilton County Special Education Program. Since 1989, it has provided services to special needs students from all six high schools in the county.
The program includes two classes and is located on the LeCroy Career Technical Center campus in Clanton.
Students enrolled in the program are transported on buses from their home schools to the career tech center, and then to various job sites around the city.
Three weeks ago, problems arose when the state contacted Chilton County Schools Superintendent Dave Hayden and informed him that the county would no longer receive funding for the bus routes and teacher aides needed for students in the program.
At its July 17 meeting, the Board of Education approved to relocate the four job coaches and the special education teacher at the career tech center to other local schools with staff needs.
“Due to funding cuts, we had to make some adjustments,” Hayden said. “This will save us from having to hire people for the other positions.”
One potential solution, Hayden said, is for schools to operate the program in-house, meaning the students would not go to the career tech center anymore.
It never ceases to amaze me that when programs get “cut” Education is ALWAYS near the top of this list. Education is a life long process and programs like the one mentioned is but a mere step in that direction. The cost of education will never be greater than the cost of ignorance!
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Sometimes you have to find a way to fund certain programs and not worry about saving money in the long run. This program is greatly needed.
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This is one of those programs that would obviously save the government money in the long run.
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Believe it or not, in rare instances, it’s not about saving money. You should talk to the families of these children and find out what they think. These kids are taught life skills and skilled trades, where some of these opportunities may never be available if not for this program.
Yeah…I could see where it could save money too. However, the government wastes plenty of money elsewhere and could cut some dead weight in the form of “stale” employees. Check the county’s adequate yearly progress (ayp)…you can easily find budget cuts elsewhere.
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