Parentally Placed Children with Disabilities in Private Schools for 2006-2007

ADMINISTRATIVE LETTER NO: 34
POLICY CODE: IHBA

TO: Superintendents of Schools, Director of Special Services

FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner

DATE: April 4, 2008

RE: Parentally Placed Children with Disabilities in Private Schools for 2006-2007

The Maine Department of Education, in informing school administrative units of their responsibility to parentally placed students with disabilities in private schools, issued two Informational Letters in an effort to clarify that responsibility.

Information Letter #45, dated October 6, 2005, informed school administrators that, for 2005-2006 only, we would be using the December 1st child count as the best available data to calculate the proportionate share of Part B funds to be expended on parentally placed children in private schools. Administrative Letter #12, dated October 18, 2007, restated Appendix B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) on how to calculate the proportionate share of federal funds to support parentally placed children with disabilities in private schools. We posted on our website question and answer documents on parentally placed children with disabilities.

The December 1st child count of children served was to be used for the one year, 2005-2006. It appears that some school administrative units may have continued that process into 2006-2007, reporting children served rather than all eligible students.

We would ask that you review the process you used in 2006-2007 and check your responses to Questions 8 and 9 (Program Description 5-20) for the 2006-2007 Local Entitlement Application. If you continued to use the December 1st child count in 2006-2007 to allocate funds to the private schools, and not the number of children eligible to be served, you should consult with the private schools and make any adjustment in the federal funds to be distributed to the private school. If you used the December 1st count and it included all eligible children, then it will not be necessary to make adjustments.

If you have made an adjustment, we ask that you complete the information below using the formula outlined in Administrative Letter #12.

Proportionate Share Calculation:

School Administrative Unit:_____________________________________________________

Number of children with disabilities in administrative unit for 2006-2007: _________
Number of parentally placed eligible children with disabilities: _________
Total number of eligible children: _________
Local Entitlement Grant Award (5-20): $ _________
Local Entitlement Grant award divided by number of eligible children: $ _________
Multiplied by the number of parentally placed children with disabilities: $ _________
Amount to be expended for parentally placed children with disabilities: $_________

Please identify the private schools you have contacted to make these adjustments:

List: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Department of Education will begin in October to collect data in the new MEDMS on students that make up the eligible population for distribution of federal funds to private schools.

Please return by April 18, 2008 to John Kierstead (John.Kierstead@maine.gov ) or Kathy Fellows (Kathy.Fellows@maine.gov ) or you may mail to John Kierstead, Department of Education, Office of Special Services, 23 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333.