Special Education Millage Called 'good Investment'

(LAST OF A SERIES) "This is a pretty good investment of taxpayers' money. An investment in these handicapped youngsters now will help them become productive in adult life and will help them to become a credit, not a liability, for society." Nick A. Ianni, superintendent of the Washtenaw Intermedíate School District, was referring to a half-mill investment for special education programs which he hopes voters will approve next Monday. (No special education millage request has ever failed in Michigan.) W h y is the Intermedíate School District requesting an additional half-mill for special education? Ianni lists five main reasons: the increased cost of doing business; the need to provide competitive salaries for special education staff; the need to protect local districts from losses because of ceilings put two years ago on state financial reimbursement for special education programs; the ing student population, and the need to expand programs to better meet the needs of handicapped children in the county. "If the proposal is rejected, we'll have to face serious cutbacks in special education- perhaps as much as 25 per cent," Ianni has said. These cutbacks would affect an estimated 400 handicapped children- 200 whose special education programs might have to be cut if the millage fails and anotlier 200 youngsters who would be included in the special education program for the first time if the millage passes. If the millage doesn't pass, I the Intermedíate School District will cut its staff equivalent to the number of people who have already resigned (presently, about 10). These people would not be replaced, according to Ianni. This would cut the program by about 28 per cent. "To balance the budget," I ni continued," local school districts will get only those funds that are remaining after all Intermedíate School District commitments have been fulfilled . . . This would mean that the local districts would have to analyze their budgets and . . . they would probably have to cut their special education programs. "The major effect would be borne by the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor School Districts." What would be some other effects of a defeated millage? Ianni says ceilings on transportation would have to be continued and no allowances could be made for equipment and tuition. No consideration could be given to new applications for local special education facilities. If the millage passes next week, about 80 per cent of the additional revenue would be used to restore program and reimbursement cuts to the level of operation during the 1967-68 school year. They were substantially cut this year because of insufficient funds. The remaining 20 per cent, he said would be used to cover increased costs and to cover "minimal expansión needs" in programs for the mentally retarded, deaf, blind and opedically handicapped children, and for chilren who are emotionally disturbed or have learning disabilities. Ianni says the original intent of state legislation establishing the present structure for special education programs was to have the state support special education at a rate of about 75 per cent, with the remaining 25 per cent financed by the levying of local raillage. "But that hasn't happened," Ianni says. "Now it's almost a 50-50 split. The state just hasn't appropriated sufficieut funds."