Some of the local townsfolk were apparently up in arms last December, when SC lawmakers deemed it their responsibility to educate the students at Three Rivers Residential:
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free-times ·
columbia's free weeklyIssue #22.49 :: 12/09/2009 - 12/15/2009New Special Needs Requirement Jolts Lexington 2BY AL DOZIERS.C. lawmakers approved a proviso at the end of the last legislative session that has stirred up a hornet's nest in Lexington School District 2.
The legislation mandates that school districts in the state be responsible for educating students who are living in residential treatment facilities within their district.
Of a reported 738 students living in those facilities statewide, 80 are located in treatment centers in Lexington 2, the home of Three Rivers Residential Treatment Services in West Columbia.
Lexington 2, like many other school districts, is already strapped for resources because of budget cuts and can't begin to meet the task of educating those students, according to Superintendent Venus Holland.
"It's like a forced marriage," Holland said during a special board meeting Dec. 3.
Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, agrees.
"We've got to get it annulled," he says.
The entire Lexington County legislative delegation was invited to the board meeting, but Knotts was the only lawmaker present. Holland says several members of the delegation already had previous commitments when the meeting was announced, but some have been fully informed about the issue.
Many of the students at the residential treatment centers, some with severe psychiatric problems, require individualized instruction from teachers with specialized training.
Lexington 2 staffers say meeting the needs of those students would require the services of at least a dozen teachers with specialized skills.
Hiring a single teacher with those types of skills would cost approximately $60,000.
Another issue that concerns the district is that testing of those students will reflect on the district's annual report card, even though only three are actually residents of the district.
While the proviso states that districts will be compensated for the expenses, Lexington 2 officials say the state has not provided any revenue source. In fact, the dialogue between the state Department of Education and District 2 was portrayed as being somewhat contentious at times.
The state Department of Education referred questions to the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. A spokesperson for that agency did not respond to a phone call.
In the past, the for-profit residential care centers have put in their own education programs, then sought reimbursement from the state. But the providers apparently have had difficulty getting that reimbursement, prompting their push for the proviso.
Jake Moore, attorney for the district, says the requirements in the proviso should not have been put on local districts. Such a program should be administered by the state, as it does with group home services.
Knotts and Moore are considering new legislation that would place the responsibility for educating those students under the same provisions that now provide funding for group home students.
State Department of Education officials were scheduled to meet with Knotts and Lexington 2 officials this week for more discussion on the issue.
It will take a lot more deliberation.
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CommentsAmazed December 29th, 2009 12:40pmAre they not citizens, and required to pay taxes, if they work as adults, or is it less expensive for Lexington County and the state of South Carolina to spend an estimated $35,000 for 70 years on a person not qualified to work? Oh, that is not counting medical care for the rest of their lives without any return investment --- because they will not be EDUCATED! Let's think about this progressively! I am amazed!
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