Districts to reclaim lost special education funds

Angelique Flores

After 20 years of incurring possibly millions in debt from the state,

the four local school district boards agreed to accept a settlement to

recover lost special education funding.

“Special education has been underfunded for some time,” said Steve

McMahon, assistant superintendent of business administration at the

Fountain Valley School District. “It never really paid for itself. It’s

been coming from the general fund.”

Districts will be paid according to their average daily attendance.

Half of the money will be awarded this year, and the rest will be paid

over the next 10 years.

Altogether, the Fountain Valley district expects to receive about

$553,000; Huntington Beach City School District, about $578,000;

Huntington Beach Union High School District, about $1.23 million; and

Ocean View School District, about $857,000.While district officials may

have compromised on getting the full amount owed by the state -- which

has never been officially tallied -- they didn’t have to drudge through

20 years worth of paperwork.

“Our encroachment can run in the millions when you’re looking over 20

years,” said Marylou Beckmann, director of fiscal services at Ocean View.

Bypassing the paperwork was a great savings to the districts, McMahon

said. Some officials also said it was wiser to take the offer than to

hold out for a larger settlement.

“A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush,” said Jerry

Buchanan, assistant superintendent of administrative services of the

Huntington Beach City School District. “It’s a step in the right

direction.”

The state has also agreed to hike future special education funding

annually, giving the Fountain Valley district an additional $106,980;

Huntington Beach City, $111,710; Huntington Beach Union, $238,441; and

Ocean View, $165,835, starting next school year.

The high school district already has plans to use the money for the

Day Treatment Center, a literacy program for special education students,

a facilitator for special education and a strategic plan for special

education.

The Fountain Valley district may put some of the money toward a

language program for special education and poorly performing students.

Ocean View will probably put the money in the general fund to be

available for next year’s budget.

The lawsuit was initiated in 1980, when the Santa Barbara County

superintendent of schools filed a test claim asking the state to

reimburse local educational agencies for the unfunded costs of special

education programs and services. The Riverside County superintendent of

schools filed a similar claim the following year. Under commission rules,

test claims are treated as class actions and applicable to all education

agencies statewide.According to the pending lawsuit, 85% of the districts

statewide need to agree to waive future claims for special education

funding during the time period from 1980 to 2000 and agree to the

settlement amount before accepting the sum.

“That is likely to happen,” said said Tish Cook, assistant

superintendent of business services at the Huntington Beach Union High

School District.

School districts have until Jan. 31 to respond to the settlement.