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Board reviews special education annual plan and federal flow‑through funding
Summary
Staff walked the Page County School Board through the special education annual plan and the federal flow‑through grant application, explaining reimbursement rules, required assurances, and program components; staff will return in April for formal approval to submit to the Virginia Department of Education.
Staff presented the Page County Public Schools special education annual plan and the federal flow‑through grant application at the board meeting, describing how the division applies to the Virginia Department of Education to receive reimbursement for certain special education expenses.
The presenter, Baker (special education staff), told the board the packet contains an application of about 17 pages and includes the assurances the superintendent must sign, the maintenance‑of‑effort calculations, and the required proportionate set‑aside for children who are homeschooled or enrolled in private schools. Baker said the state prepopulates the set‑aside figures the division must use and that the application will seek reimbursement for portions of staff salaries, benefits and certain mileage costs for staff who travel between buildings.
Baker outlined the distinction between the school‑age funds (commonly called 611 or 6‑11) and the preschool grant (619 or 6‑19). He said the district uses school‑age funds primarily to reimburse a portion of special education teaching salaries and associated benefits; preschool funds likewise reimburse preschool special education staff and related travel. Baker also described “child find” activities funded through the grant and noted the division operates a local jail education memorandum of agreement to provide services to students with disabilities who are incarcerated.
The presenter showed trends from the December 1 child count, saying the number of students identified with disabilities has increased over the past five years; he emphasized the count is an unduplicated primary‑condition count. Baker said the formula the state and federal governments use to allocate funds is out of the division’s control and that the division experienced a decrease in funds in the most recent year for reasons tied to that federal/state formula.
Baker said staff will return to the board in April after members have had time to review the full application packet and then will ask the board for approval to submit the annual plan to the Virginia Department of Education so the division can claim reimbursements in the coming year.
The board did not take final action on the packet at the meeting; staff scheduled a follow‑up presentation and an opportunity for board questions in April.
