| FUND: SPECIAL REVENUE |
SPECIAL EDUCATION |
Jan Voeks, Director Special Education
Chapter 115 of the Wisconsin Statutes permits a County Board to establish a special education program for school districts in the County and to create a Children With Disabilities Education Board (CDEB). The CDEB provides services for children with hearing impairments, vision impairments, cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disabilities, physical impairments, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, traumatic brain injury and speech and language impairments. Related services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing services, and transportation are also provided.
The County School Office is the administrative office of the Racine County Children With Disabilities Education Board. Special education teachers of all categories of impairments as well as teacher aides, social workers, school psychologists, and program support teachers are employed through the County School Office and are assigned to special education services in each of the eleven school districts operating west of Interstate 94 in Racine County.
High quality special education services continue to be maintained in Western Racine County through the achievement of many of the 2003 goals. We were able to add additional teachers and paraprofessional staff to provide the services indicated on the individual education program plans of each of the nearly 1,400 students to whom we have provided special education and related services. We were able to maintain desired student/staff ratios based on caseload guidelines. We successfully provided equipment and materials to meet the instructional needs of students and staff and provided in-service training to a significant number of staff members by enabling them to attend conferences and workshops and through area special education meetings. We also provided in-service on alternative assessment to our teachers at the local level, either through area special education meetings or to specific staff within individual buildings.
We added a mentoring program for new teachers, which has been well received and considered to be highly beneficial in its first year.
Continue to maintain high quality special education services in Western Racine County through the provision of teacher, paraprofessional, and support staff to meet caseload guidelines and the needs of students as indicated on their individual education program plans.
Due to a letter of understanding with the Special Education Association Professional Unit and the Special Education Association Aides Unit who have accepted a one-year wage freeze. The 5 Social Worker positions and the 1 Program Support Teacher position will not be eliminated.
