The Final Report - Malcolm Shabazz City High School, Madison WI

Decision Item #4: REDUCE NON-MANDATED ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM OFFERINGS (cont.)Student Impact andEffectiveness,Availability andDelivery of Services:Option C: Refine the requirements for Medical Off-CampusProgramming (continue current year savings ofapproximately $150,000)Option D: Discontinue the practice of holding two seats for studentsenrolled in the School Within a School Program(approximately $242,500 – 5 FTE)Option A: If the District were to eliminate programs with a high costper student, many of the combined programs (where two seats areheld for the student – one at the home school and one at thealternative program) would be eliminated. Replay, Cluster, and Neon (aprogram for emotionally disturbed special education students) areamong the highest cost combined programs. These programs are usedto divert students from expulsion (for the 2000-2001 school year, 90students were diverted into programs such as Cluster and Replay). Theprograms also serve students who are not diverted from expulsion butwho have significant behavior problems in their home school. Studentsin these programs often participate in their home schools, and spendpart of their day at the alternative program. If these programs were notavailable, many of the students would likely face expulsion, drop out,or be more likely to enter the criminal justice system (in recognition ofthis fact, Dane County cooperates with the Replay program, offering inkindservices such as social workers and space to support theprogram).The effectiveness of programs included in Option A varies with theprogram. No data are available on the effectiveness of Neon. ForReplay, analysis of a sample of records suggests that 69 percent ofstudents increased their attendance the year following theirparticipation. For the Cluster program, 42 percent of studentsincreased their attendance in the year following their participation.Elimination of these programs would result in savings of approximately$580,000.Option B: While the law requires that services be provided to schoolaged parents, it does not require that districts provide stand-alonespecialized programs for this population. The school is required tomake program modifications and services available to enable the pupilto continue his or her education. One of the options the District makesavailable is the School Aged Parent Program (SAPAR), which allowsparents to participate in a stand-alone off-site program, with a muchlower student teacher ratio and support services..Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP Page 55March 11, 2002