South Dakota

IDEA Money Watch has obtained the information submitted by the South Dakota Dept. of Education to the U.S. Dept. of Education regarding reduction to local spending (maintenance of effort or  MOE) and use of federal IDEA funds for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) for each school district for the 2009 fiscal year. Get South Dakota information here. (PDF,  30 pgs).

This information is important because it indicates if school districts reduced local spending in light of IDEA Recovery Act funds in FY 2009. IDEA does not require that local districts replace these funds when the Recovery funds run out, putting services for students with disabilities at risk.

June 16, 2009 :: Rapid City Journal

It was a good week in special education departments statewide as they received a pat on the back from the South Dakota Department of Education for hitting federal and state targets for services for students with special needs.

“We’re very pleased with all of our districts,” Ann Larsen, South Dakota Special Education Director, said during a phone interview.

The state is one of 17 to earn the highest ratings possible under Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, commonly referred to as IDEA. The U.S. Department of Education (USED) released the information to states last week. IDEA Part B monitors the effectiveness of special education services at the preschool and K-12 levels, while Part C refers to the state’s Birth to Three program, which serves younger children. Full article here.

IDEA MONEY WATCH responds: Good going, SD…but let’s remember that the USED gives out ratings based on compliance data, fixin’ past issues of non-compliance, and addressing outstanding audit findings.

Just 19.19% of students with disabilities in grades 9-12 are performing at a proficient level or above in reading and just 16.39% in math. Lots of room for improvement here.

Details on South Dakota’s rating from USED available here.

South Dakota will receive $31,630,863 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve services for special education students.

We will report on how the local school districts are using these funds and how the academic achievement of students with disabilities is improving as a result.

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