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Louisiana outlines draft IDEA grant priorities; public survey draws 740 responses
Summary
Department staff updated the advisory panel on the state’s draft IDEA (federal special education) grant application, describing required state set‑aside activities (monitoring, dispute resolution, accessible assessments), stakeholder survey results and proposed investments in professional development, assistive technology and transition services.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Department of Education staff told the Special Education Advisory Panel on March 26 that the state’s draft IDEA grant application will prioritize monitoring and complaint investigation, accessible assessments and professional development while keeping the application flexible to respond to emerging needs.
Meredith Geord, a member of the Department’s special education staff, said the department has not yet received its final allocation but is drafting the application based on the prior year. “We are planning as though we will receive at least what we got in fiscal year 24,” Geord said, and added that required activities include administering a statewide monitoring system and special education complaint investigations, maintaining alternate assessments and providing technical assistance to local education agencies.
Geord said the department’s public survey produced more than 740 responses — the largest response she recalled — and that roughly 46% of respondents were parents. Themes from the public input included requests for April Dunn Act implementation support, paperwork reduction and help recruiting related‑service providers. Geord said the department will summarize public comments for the formal 60‑day comment period and can adjust planned funding allocations after the final federal award is posted.
Planned state activities described in the draft application include maintaining the Accessible Educational Materials Center (for assistive technology and braille materials), funding salary and contract costs for the monitoring and dispute‑resolution teams (six new monitoring positions were added in recent years), statewide professional‑learning modules (including a suite from LRP), and pilot transition work to improve middle‑to‑high school supports and community partnerships for employment pathways.
Panel members raised topics they want to emphasize in the final application: additional professional development and on‑site coaching rather than just online modules; supports for middle‑grade instruction and social‑emotional learning; recruitment pipelines for special‑education teachers and related‑service providers; and regional models for IEP facilitation and crisis‑management training. Geord said some activities — for example, a statewide positive‑behavior consortium and transition pilots — already exist in current grants and can be expanded if funds are available.
No vote was required on the draft application; the department invited written questions and public comments as it finalizes the submission in May after the federal allocation is announced.
Key departmental contact for follow‑up questions was listed during the meeting as meredith.geord@la.gov.
