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Board approves $35,000 compensatory fund payment and up to $20,000 in parent legal fees in special-education settlement
Summary
The board approved a compensatory education payment of $35,000 and authorization to pay parent legal fees up to $20,000 in a settlement that administration says avoided a potential $173,760 exposure through due process; members debated the legal-fee amount and documentation.
The Centennial School District board on June 23 approved a compensatory education fund payment of $35,000 and authorized parent legal fees not to exceed $20,000 as part of a settlement involving special education services.
Board members questioned whether authorizing up to $20,000 in legal fees for a family's counsel was an appropriate use of taxpayer funds. "That's a pretty poor use of taxpayer funds to pay a lawyer who's essentially taking positions against the school district," said board member Mr. Martin during debate, questioning the size of the fee authorization.
Administration and the district's counsel explained the settlement reduced fiscal exposure. Dr. Lucaba and legal counsel said the district's total exposure in the case was about $173,760 and that by settling for $55,000 the district avoided a far larger cost that could arise from a due-process proceeding. Counsel reported that opposing-counsel fees to date were roughly $41,000 as of April 1.
Administrators framed the settlement as both a win for the child and a pragmatic fiscal decision while also promising continued efforts to strengthen IEP paperwork and internal processes to reduce future legal exposure. The board approved the item as listed on the consent agenda.
