District explains IDEA Part B funding, uses and risks to Bedford City Board

Miriam Armstrong, the district’s supervisor of pupil personnel, presented an overview of IDEA Part B (federal special education) funding and how the Bedford City Schools use those dollars. Armstrong told the board the funds are federal and must be used only for students with disabilities and related services, and she emphasized the legal restriction against supplanting general‑fund expenditures.

Armstrong told the board IDEA Part B funding supports related services (occupational therapy, physical therapy), assistive technology, professional development, early intervening services and parental engagement. She said the money cannot be used for general education expenses, construction or to replace services historically funded by the district’s general fund. "The monies must be used for only special education students," she said.

Armstrong presented budget line highlights for the current period: instructional salaries and benefits associated with special programming (listed in the presentation as $387,900), support for related services, and $53,000 shown for facilities‑related costs tied to the BEAR program. She also described purchases the district has made with IDEA funds, including iPads and communication apps (examples cited: Proloquo2Go and TouchChat), Clear Touch interactive boards, Rogers hearing devices and sensory‑space materials for students with trauma and regulation needs.

Board members and community speakers praised the BEAR program, which serves students who had difficulty in traditional classroom settings. Board members asked whether the district would have to provide services if federal IDEA funds were reduced or lost; staff agreed service obligations remain and that such reductions would shift responsibility — and cost — to local funding sources. "If something would happen, we would still have to provide those services for us. And that money would have to come out of our general fund," one board member said.

Community members and parents spoke in support of the BEAR program during the meeting and related public comments. Several offered first‑hand examples of student progress, including a child who said her first word while enrolled in BEAR. Armstrong and other staff said they would provide periodic updates on the program’s outcomes to the board at future meetings.

The presentation included a request that the district follow federal allowable‑use rules and continue outreach to families; there was no formal board action tied directly to the IDEA Part B presentation during this meeting.