Debora Scheffel, Colorado Department of Education
March 2002
The Colorado Department of Education recently released this 50-page study by Debora Scheffel of the University of Northern Colorado, based on a survey of district special-ed directors and charter-school administrators regarding services for disabled youngsters attending Colorado charters. It indicates that the number and proportion of such youngsters is rising, that this is "causing an increasing strain on both the charter schools and the support provided by the districts." This argues for finding ways of addressing "issues which impede a collaborative and enabling relationship between charter schools and school districts so that the needs of students with disabilities can be adequately met." As you may know, Colorado charters are all sponsored by their local districts, so they find themselves working together-or at loggerheads-more than in most states. For delivering and paying for special ed services, it's common in Colorado to use an "insurance model wherein [charters] pay a flat rate to the district for provision of specific services to their students with disabilities." This seems to work well from the district perspective but far less so from the charter-school viewpoint. Only ten percent of charter heads report a "positive relationship" with their district-though 70% of district special ed directors are satisfied. The author finds a major lack of awareness of each other's perspective. She goes on to make recommendations, mostly predictable. It's not a riveting report but is pertinent to those seeking better information on the relationships between charter schools and special ed and ways that districts can help meet these kids' needs. You can find it on the web (in PDF format) at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/download/charterSpedreport.pdf. Also available (and possibly relevant to school system and charter people in other states) is Laura Freppel's "Special Education Guide for Colorado School Administrators," which you can order from http://www.webbookstore.net/.
