In addition to the very special HeaneyWatch™ event, last night's Portsmouth School Committee meeting featured a presentation on regional Special Ed by director Trish Martins, and recognition of our Middle School tutors.

Deborah Seddons, who runs the PMS peer tutoring program, celebrated the skill and dedication of the participants. "They sign up to help other kids during their lunch, or silent reading periods. These are kids who say, 'I am willing to help.' And sometimes, kids are better at teaching an 11-year-old something about math, and I can learn from them." Then the two dozen peer tutors received a certificate and thank you from Chair Sylvia Wedge, to loud applause.

With the feel-good part of the evening over, the audience dwindled from 40 happy parents to a few PCC diehards and a half-dozen school supporters, as Trish Martins, director of the Newport County Regional Special Education Program (NCR) fired up PowerPoint.

For those who feel that I am never critical of the schools, let me offer a bone. I think that there should be standard templates for all school district presentations, and that presenters should always stand at the podium and use a wireless mouse. There, I really tore them a new USB port. Happy, Jamie?

Martins reviewed the history and scope of the NCR. Established in 1979 to consolidate SPED needs for the towns of Little Compton, Tiverton, Middletown, and Portsmouth, it serves the needs of 1,677 students out of a total population of 7,879. With 21% of students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), NCR is about average for the state.

After discussing the Federal and state regulations, eligibility categories, and the continuum of services and programs, it was clear why NCR is so personnel intensive, employing 243.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, mainly SPED teachers and TAs. The total NCR budget of $12.6M is apportioned among the towns using a formula based on number of students receiving services (33.2% come from Portsmouth) and pro-rata contribution to fixed (admin) costs.

Martins stressed the importance of offering services in a "peer inclusionary" fashion, and noted "It really is a credit to our four towns that we have so many specialized programs and are able to keep kids in their communities."

In terms of Portsmouth student profiles, the majority of students needing SPED services are in the areas of learning disability and speech/language issues. One eye-popping number was students referred for autism spectrum disorders, which increased by 3,200% since 1990. In fact, Martins said, Rhode Island is the highest in the country in overall percentage of students with special needs.

Identifying those needs is done individually, and is based not on arbitrary test scores, said Martins, but response to intervention and data-driven decisions. "If there's not a true educational impact, the student should not be eligible for SPED."

Loudy and Paul ("Doesn't have a clever nickname") Kesson got up to poke at the finances for NCR. "Are you audited?" (Answer: Yes) "What's your capture rate from CompuClaim?" [The Medicaid billing provider] (Answer: Didn't have number, can provide.)

To give you some sense of the character of the PCC's questions. Kesson said, "Do all the charts on pages 18-22 relate to the Portsmouth schools?" Martins looked at them. "Yes," she replied. Then Kesson pounced. "But on page 22, under public school based preschool programs, you have Aquidneck and Forest Avenue Elementary schools listed. Were they added to Portsmouth?" Martins replied, mildly, "You have Portsmouth students in those schools."

By way of likening ancient times to modern, let me compare that to an early episode of The Simpsons:
Doug: In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is a magic xylophone, or something? Ha ha, boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
Homer: I'll field that one. Let me ask *you* a question. Why would a grown man whose shirt says "Genius at Work" spend all of his time watching a children's cartoon show?
[embarrassed pause]
Doug: I withdraw my question.
[starts eating a candy bar]
— via IMDB

Hey, maybe "Magic Xylophone" Kesson...