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Supervisors told out-of-area special-education and foster placements are driving county expenses
Summary
County child-services and school-special-education placements outside the region are creating large monthly bills; supervisors asked staff to pursue local options and consult school districts.
County staff told supervisors that out-of-area residential special-education placements and foster-care costs are a principal driver of budget pressure in the Department of Social Services (DSS) and related appropriations.
A DSS-related presenter explained that when a school district cannot meet a student’s needs locally, the district places the student in a more restrictive residential program and the county initially pays maintenance costs that are partly reimbursed by the district (the speaker said reimbursements are about 56 percent). Staff told the board the minimum cost for some residential special-education placements is about $21,000 per month per child and that placements usually last at least 10 months in a school year.
The presentation included a recent example: a child from a sibling group was placed out of state to obtain necessary services; that placement costs roughly $40,000 and was described as carrying no county reimbursement. Staff said the county is bundling foster-care and special-education (CSE) lines separately in the 2025 budget so supervisors can see the cost drivers distinctly.
Supervisors discussed potential local approaches, including working with school districts on whether local or regional placements could be developed and the feasibility of therapeutic foster-home capacity. The DSS presenter and supervisors noted statewide provider shortages and recent changes to state foster-care payment structures that have reduced available placements.
Supervisors requested follow-up conversations with regional superintendents and asked staff to explore whether the county could create or attract local capacity for higher-level therapeutic or special-education residential services.
Ending — The board asked DSS staff to continue work with school districts and return with options for potential local or regional placements and cost estimates; no budget appropriation was approved at the meeting.
