Special ed students may stay in town
In the hope of eventually saving millions of dollars a year, the Norwood public school district could start bringing back some of its special education students as early as next September.
A committee is studying the feasibility of a pilot program to educate the students in Norwood, rather than placing them in expensive, out-of-district schools.
The plan, being driven by interim Schools Superintendent John Moretti, would be called the Norwood Prep Program and operate out of the James R. Savage Education Center.
The idea, which has produced savings in other towns, has interested School Committee Chairman Paul Samargedlis since he took office, both for its potential cost reductions and its inno vation. "I'd love to be able to set a trend to help all communities out," Samargedlis said. "We'll see if we can get it up and running."
Norwood spends about $3.5 million annually on tuition and services for 70-plus children who are educated out of town, including about 60 who have behavioral or emotional issues. That includes $900,000 to transport some as much as an hour each way, Samargedlis said.
"It is a big cost," he said. "Three or four years down the road we would be saving money. It's about the money and a better quality of life for kids."
Officials have estimated that the plan could start by bringing back a handful of high-school students who have been educated out of district, and eliminate the need to place a few others. Initial estimates showed a $90,000 start-up investment for staff, but savings for keeping those students in town would equal that amount in the first year, they said.
The School Committee set up a subcommittee, including members William Plasko Jr. and Courtney Rau - both of whom work in special education - to help Moretti and the district's team hash over ideas for the program, officials said.
"We would still have to be able to provide the correct services," Samargedlis said. For example, he said, "If you have one child with autism, you would need a couple more in order to have a program.
"There is a lot of rationale in public education that if we spend now we have to see tangible results right now," Samargedlis said. "But you can't think like that. Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. And you have to spend money to keep kids in their own town."
The town of Lexington did the same thing and saved $1.5 million the first year, said Tom Scott, the executive director of the state Association of School Superintendents.
"It's definitely worth looking at," Scott said. "A lot of places have tried different things. You are reinvesting some of your resources. And getting the trust of parents is a big part of it."
Mansfield also introduced the same initiative when Moretti was superintendent there, said Rau, who worked for him then, and now is an assistant principal for student services at Newton's Bigelow Middle School.
"The best place for these kids to be educated is with their peers," said Rau. "If we can do as well or better, then let's do it. Let's take on that challenge."
If the Norwood subcommittee finds merit in the plan, expenditures would be included in the budget for fiscal 2010, which begins next July 1. The budget will be voted on at the May Town Meeting.
Parents would have choices about whether to participate, but Samargedlis said he was sure that having a program up and running will boost confidence for parents to give it a try.
But the money has to be there, he added.
"You can't take your son or daughter out of a program and then have this subject to financing," said Samargedlis.
Samargedlis praised Moretti for bringing open-minded leadership to district issues such as the special education proposal. The idea was broached in the past, but the former administration wasn't apt to try something so creative, he said.
Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net. 