Rep Shea Appointed To State Panel

State Representative Pat Shea, R-112th District, a member of the General Assembly’s Education Committee, has been appointed to the Advisory Council for Special Education by House Minority Leader Robert M. Ward, R-Northford, to fill an unexpected two-year term, which ends June 2002.

“I’m very pleased to have been appointed to the Advisory Council,” Rep Shea said. “As a member of the Education Committee, I have introduced legislation every year to lower the cost to towns of providing special education to students with learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral problems. Although special education is an essential service, the cost to towns of providing the service has been escalating over the past several years, significantly increasing the burden on local property taxpayers.

“During the 2001 legislative session, the General Assembly finally passed a version of my proposal, which will give local property taxpayers some relief – although not as much as would have been provide had my bill passed in its original form,” Rep Shea said. “As a member of the Advisory Council for Special Education, I will be in a position to advocate even more effectively for further changes in the formula under which state aid to towns for special education is calculated. While this year’s legislation was a good start, local special education costs are still too high and further changes in the formula will be necessary to give property taxpayers meaningful relief.”

Under the new law enacted this year, the number of towns qualifying for state aid to reduce local special education costs will increase. Currently, towns do not qualify for state aid until they are spending five times the school district’s average per pupil expenditure on special education students. After July 1, 2002, towns will be eligible for the assistance if they are spending 4.5 times the district’s average per pupil expenditure for special education.

Under the bill proposed by Rep Shea at the beginning of the 2001 session, towns would have had to spend only three times the average per pupil expenditure on special education students to qualify for state aid.

The Advisory Council’s duties include reviewing laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines pertaining to special education and recommending changes to the state Board of Education and the General Assembly.