Special Education: Innovative Arrangements Between a School District and Charter Schools Results in Better Outcomes for Students with Special Needs ACSA Every Child Counts Symposium Brian Bauer, CEO, Granada Hills Charter High School Sharyn Howell, Executive Director, LAUSD Gina Plate, Sr. Advisor for Special Education January 16, 2015

Charter Schools Intended as models for innovation, charter schools are uniquely position to provide individualized support to all students.

Local Educational Agency (LEA) for Special Education Ed. Code §47641(a) Part of an LEA (“School of the District”) Ed. Code §47641(b) California Charter Schools have two options for special education service delivery and responsibility: California: Two Options for Charter Schools

Key Factors Independent LEA for special education purposes Part of an LEA for special education purposes Legal Status Relationship to authorizer dictates: Access to funding Service delivery responsibility and decision making authority Linkage

= Authorizer = Traditional School = Charter School Another look at the Options Independent LEA for Special Education (No Link) Part of an LEA/ School of the District (Total Link) Responsibility & Funding

California Special Education Structures

Another look at the Structures LEA for Special Education School of The District School District Charter School SELP A

Charter School: Autonomy, Flexibility, Funding SELPA: Compliance, Funding Authorizer: Oversight, Funding The Great Divide: Competing Interests Quality Services for Students

Los Angeles Unified School District LAUSD ADA 611,000; Enrollment: 653,826Students with Disabilities: 82, Charter Schools; 122,000 ADA

The LAUSD Vision Expand the innovative, high-quality school choice options available for vulnerable youth by empowering charter schools to: Serve a greater number of students with unique needs; Provide innovative, high-quality services to a broader range of students.

11 The LAUSD SELPA Structure One Single-District SELPA Two Sub-groups – District-Operated Programs – Charter-Operated Programs

LAUSD: One structure, two programs LAUSD Board of Education LAUSD SELPA $ District-Operated Program $ Charter-Operated Program Advisory Committee 2 charter representatives 3 district representatives

One SELPA, two Programs District Operated Program Charter Operated Program LAUSD SELPA Affiliated charters Traditional district schools and “school of the district” charters Programs and Services Option 2 charters Option 1 charters Semi- autonomous “LEA-like” charters Option 3 charter $ $ $ $

How Does the Charter Operated Program (COP) Structure Look Like In LAUSD? Charter Schools 80% Admin. Costs10% Pooled for Risk Sharing10% Each charter school assumes responsibility for providing all special education services similar to structure available to schools operating as an LEA for special education purposes.

Charter schools in the new program have increased both the number and range of students with disabilities they serve COP schools increased the percentage of students with disabilities they serve from 8.12% in ’11 to 9.73% in 2012-’13. COP schools have increased the proportion of students with the most severe ("low-incidence") disabilities by 39%. Case Study: Los Angeles

Successes in New Arrangements A regression analysis showed every additional year as an LEA a school has an average increase of.4% in the proportion of student population identified with a disability. In other words, after 5 years as an LEA, the average increase in population of SWD is 2%.