3.  Optimize Special Education

The growth, over the last two decades, of students needing special education services and the growth in total district expenditures attributed to special education – requires a major study of the causes and impact of that growth.

The Connecticut General Assembly has recognized this need by establishing a new sub-committee, solely dedicated to special education; and the Connecticut State Department of Education has undertaken several initiatives and actions to improve the operation of special education.

Every district must have the conditions necessary to deliver excellent, inclusive instruction for every child.

High-quality classroom instruction must be the norm statewide, supported by consistent and effective interventions for students who need additional support.

Restructuring should emphasize early intervention, capacity building, and accountability, and ensuring that resources drive measurable student success.

There is an urgent need to address: the identification of students for Special Education; the options or choices  when students are not identified; the role of outplacements; the need for documenting achievement; the inequities among districts; the growth of costs in Special Education including transportation; the issues of appropriate staffing; the need for standards and controls on private providers; reasonable and necessary limits on unilateral placements by parents; and the long overdue restructuring of the “burden of proof” to achieve balance and fairness to all.