SOURCE
05-08-09

New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) has announced plans to close 18 regional day schools for disabled and troubled kids by June 2010, including one in Gloucester County.

DCF Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts told the Assembly Budget Committee this week that the decision was not based on economics but on declining enrollment and the department's desire to focus on its core mission of child protection. When children transfer to county or local districts, she said, tuition money would follow them.

Currently, DCF provides year 'round education and support to special-needs children and young adults ages 3 through 21. According to the DCF Web site, the "severity or uniqueness" of their needs requires removal from the public school setting.

Of the 560 students currently enrolled, 248 are said to have "severe disabilities," some of which are physical in nature, requiring constant care. The question posed by parents and legislators is whether local school districts are any better prepared to handle these children than they were in the past. It does not appear to have been answered sufficiently.

Other than those who are severely disabled, DCF students probably could be integrated into other alternative programs operated by local districts and nonprofit agencies. DCF, for example, is charged with educating children with moderate learning disabilities, those who are pregnant or parenting, and abandoned or homeless students with no district of residence.

DCF also operates some unique residential schools that will not close. But in several of these categories, it may be duplicating other services. If the regional schools close, more than 500 employees would lose jobs, but Ricketts expects many to be hired by local districts.

It's appropriate for the Department of Children and Families to transfer educational services to the Department of Education. It's not appropriate, however, to dump about 250 students with highly individualized needs onto unprepared local districts. It's not at all clear that local districts can provide equivalent services, or that the costs won't be higher when they try.

The Legislature and the public deserve more information about the regional schools and the children they serve before DCF shuts them down.

SOURCE

05-13-09


(AP) — TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey's child welfare chief is again being criticized over plans to close 18 schools that serve students with disabilities.

Kimberly Ricketts, commissioner of the Children and Families Department, says the closures are a "policy decision." The closures would be complete by next June.

She says enrollment has plunged over the past decade, and the county or local school districts that would absorb the students are capable of serving them.




The plan was discussed Wednesday at a Senate budget hearing, where some lawmakers questioned its necessity and timing. Parents and teachers from the schools expressed frustration.

At an Assembly budget hearing last week, lawmakers raised similar questions and a protest was held nearby.

GO HERE

Click on May 13, 2009 10 am.

05-06-09
SOURCE

TRENTON - The New Jersey child welfare agency's plan to close 17 schools and two programs that serve children with disabilities, at-risk youths, pregnant teenagers, and teen parents drew intense questioning from lawmakers at a budget hearing yesterday.

Department of Children and Families Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts spent much of the hearing defending the decision to close the schools and two satellite programs at hospitals.

Nine of the schools, including the Burlington campus in Mount Holly, are to close by August. The remainder, including the Cherry Hill and Gloucester campuses, are scheduled to close by the summer of 2010. The Burlington school has about 24 students, Cherry Hill 70, and Gloucester 14, according to department spokeswoman Kate Bernyck. About 560 students attend the schools statewide.

Ricketts said the department was closing the schools for policy reasons, not budgetary ones, and made the decision working with the state Department of Education. Department officials say the move is expected to save $4 million annually when all the schools are closed.

"We are absolutely committed to the appropriate transition to placements in the public sector for each child," Ricketts said. She said the department decided to close the regional schools in part to focus on child welfare and child protection and in part because of declining enrollment.

In the late 1990s, the state had more than 1,200 students in state-run schools with severe disabilities, compared with about 248 students today, Ricketts said. The remainder of the students are at-risk youths and teens who are pregnant or parents.

Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D., Passaic) asked whether local school districts would have the expertise and ability to deal with the children.

Ricketts said 7,000 students with severe disabilities were being served by local school districts. "We no longer see a need for there to be two systems" providing the same types of educational services, Ricketts said.

Ricketts said the department had sent parents with children in the regional schools two letters informing them of the changes. Next, school officials will meet with families to determine where a child will be sent after a school is closed, she said.

Ricketts said several local school districts had expressed "enthusiastic interest" in hiring state employees who are working with the students. Some school systems have proposed incorporating entire facilities within their districts, Ricketts said.

About 400 full-time state employees and 100 part-timers work at the schools and satellite programs, according to Bernyck. She said she could not say how many would lose their jobs.

Assemblyman Joseph Malone of Burlington County, the Republican budget officer, asked the department to consider extending the transition to ease the process for students and their families.

Much of the hours-long hearing focused on the school closings.

At one point, parents and staff members from some of the schools held a news conference in a room one floor below.

Parents, some in tears, said they were grateful to be able to send their children to the regional schools, where they said they receive special care from knowledgeable and responsive teachers.

Jocelyn Reyes, the parent of a child at the regional school in Essex County, said districts were scrambling to find places for the children.

"They are trying to slap together a plan," Reyes said. "They don't want our children. They keep stating they are only following orders. I think our kids deserve better. I believe they should be where they are wanted."

Nancy Brooks, who teaches at a regional school in Bergen County, spoke of the dedication required to teach students with special needs.

"We are teachers who have answered a special calling, teachers who are adept at forming relationship so that we may hear children who cannot talk, nurse hearts that are broken, build confidence where there is none, reach children who have retreated, and inspire children to work toward their greatest educational potential in the face of overwhelming obstacles," Brooks said.

Joe Finch, an 18-year-old Camden County resident who attends the regional school in Cherry Hill, said the district where he was supposed to attend school made it clear he was not wanted there, telling him he would not make it.

Finch, who has struggled with drugs and cut his wrists, resulting in multiple school suspensions, numerous hospitalizations, and a nine-month stay at a group home, said the teachers at the regional school helped him with schoolwork and problems at home.

Finch is graduating this year and hopes to attend college to study literature. For the younger students, he said, he is sorry to see the state close the schools.

"Even though I am graduating, I think it would be in the best interest to keep the group-home kids at DCF," Finch said. "It is not a want, it is a need."

05-06-09
SOURCE

Children with special needs have, well, special needs.

for 30 years the state has had a seperate school system for the severely disabled and other children with behavioral issues.

Known as Regional Schools, they currently fall under the purview of the Department of Children and Families. And that, my friends, brings me to this blogpost because Kimberly Ricketts from DCF testified before the Assembly Budget Committee yesterday.

The issue of these regional schools dominated the hearing, which was ostensibly about next year’s budget.

As it turns out, there are 560 students in these 18 regional schools. They are all are scheduled to close just in time for the next school year forcing these students into the care of the local school districts.

Parents of these children are furious. They say the state is doing this hastily without a proper plan. They say school budgets have already been approved, and thses new students are going to cost additional money.

The state counters that it will save $4 million ( which by the way, is not whole heck of a lot in a $30 billion budget ).

Ricketts claims this plan has been in the works for more than ten years, and obviously they will not allow children to slip through the cracks. Everyone will have a place to go.

But it does raise questions about how prepared local districts are to handle an influx of new students who have previously needed a special kind of care.

Let’s hope someone has a plan because if there is one, the parents say “we haven’t heard it.”

5/13/09
SOURCE


TRENTON, N.J. — The help that Maria Zevallos found for her son Jaime's daily seizures - a school for the handicapped, where the staff got to know him well and could help treat him - is going away.

That school will be closed, along with 17 others run by the state that serve handicapped or troubled young people.

The closures, by the state Department of Children and Families, will start this year and be complete by next summer. Students will be sent to local and county school districts, but staff members say there is no concrete plan for them.


Department Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said Wednesday the closures are a "policy decision," not a budget cut. She said enrollment has plunged over the past decade and the school districts are capable of serving the students. She has also said running the schools is not part of her agency's core mission of child protection.

She said staff and faculty can apply for other state jobs or try to work for the school districts, which have shown interest in hiring them.

The closures were discussed Wednesday at a packed Senate budget hearing, where some lawmakers questioned its necessity and timing. Parents and teachers from the schools attended and expressed frustration at Ricketts' comments.

At an Assembly budget hearing last week, lawmakers raised similar questions and a protest was held nearby.

"You can tell me the district can provide services for my child? I don't think so," said Deborah Cox, whose 14-year-old daughter Bethany attends the same school as Jaime Zevallos, in Passaic County.

Bethany, who has a heart condition and a chromosomal abnormality, is roughly 3 feet tall, weighs 41 pounds and was being pushed in a stroller Wednesday. At times she stuck her bare right foot in her mouth.

Scattered throughout New Jersey, the schools offer 12-month programs for students between the ages of 3 and 21. They serve physically and mentally handicapped, juvenile delinquents and others who did poorly in public school.

Students can learn math, history and other general topics, and if need be, "lifestyle" lessons on, say, feeding themselves or putting items away in a kitchen.

Staff say they know the students intimately and can better serve them than public school districts, where there is less individual attention.

Amalio Rodriguez, who teaches at Jaime's and Bethany's school, said the staff there are trained in CPR and specific emergency procedures for each student.

Once in the school districts, the students would be in unfamiliar settings and could be harassed by other pupils, said Sen. Dana Redd, D-Camden. She drew applause from the audience when she asked whether the plan was needed if saving money was not its goal.

"Is this something that we really have to do?" she said.

Chairwoman.. Noted the crowds enthusiasm ..!

Same senator... Stop this

A... No answer

. Silent applause.... Through the crowd

Another senator.... Where's the plan?

A. No.

Q. By sen ruiz. .. Were they any public hearings regarding this decisions?

A... More of the same... Duplication. federal money follows..

Q. Once this moves to dept of education.. . 40000 cost per child minimum to local school districts.. Local tax payers?. You might save 4 million.. Or whatever it is.. But for dept of ed. Won't.... This is a prime example of cost shifting.

A.. Based on treasury dept. On service and operation costs.. Just an estimate

Q.. How did you formulate the 4 million cost savings?

Statement.. You need a structured plan.

Statement.. We don't think you know enough..

.statement... We don't see a real plan..

Q. Do we tell taxpayers this program wil be less expensive.. Same or better quality.. ?

A. Federal funds wil follow student..

Q. Can we say confidently the cost isn't going to ballon this program?

A.. No answer.

Q.. Are you saying your going to tell us your funding plan. After you've done everything..? We want all the numbers.can you give us that?

A. Due to effieincy of local district... Crowd hisses

Q. Declining enrollment..why?

A... We are STARTING one on one meetings.. ...

Q.. How is this timeline feasible? Is this realistic? Do you have a plan?

... Turns out there are 564 plus 64 state responsible kids in these schools..

A.. Due to low enrollment.. Decision made with dept of ed.

.Q.. By another senator... If this isn't budget.. Why? And why now..? Timing is rushed.

..... 10 minutes later and she still hasn't answered the question... 1154

Q.. If this isn't a budget decision.. Does this need to happen?

" we will put services in place.. A childs iep is a childs iep... We r legally bound"

Q.. How r 12 month IEP handled?

" we r not going to move any children into placements that are not ready"

A.staff can apply for positions in local government.. With guidance from civil service commision.

...Q.. What will happen to staff?

Im going to post audio ... Let the ripping begin!

....we r not closing the schools...

Services that regional schools provide are duplicative of what local districts provide.. Currently providing services to 7k students........

A. This was not a budget decision.. This is a evolution from the 90s.. Made with dept of education .

... How did you arrive @ the decision to close the schools...was it financial or policy?

...she is very comfortable answering questions that pertain to DYFS.... Lets see how she handles questions regarding regional schools...

.... I wonder if she can respond to a question without having someone else feed her the answer..

Ricketts cut 64K for staff that supports county dept of Human Services... Reduction and relallocation... Decisioon was made to cut positions/funding....without understanding impact first..

....1058.. Questions begin....

..retained = retaliation ...

"...Dec 08.. 175K calls to DCF".. Wonder how many were REAL cases of abuse?.. What happens when a angry neigbor calls on you? Or someone calls out of retained ?.. What protection does the parent have?

Ricketts begins with the same statement as in the Budget assembly hearing...

...R

1043.. Budget hearing commences...

1040 am... As per KARA P WOOD.. Ms. Ricketts Chief of staff... Monmouth School. Was visited.It went from All schools.to 1 school.

The room here is standing room only... Its running late...

Sitting in State House... KIMBERLY RICKETTS.DCF Commissioner..wll be testifying shortly... She has been speaking to some off the parents..she stated that she has visited our schools... Really?... Anyone reading please confirm this.