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Q&A
Discussion on Carter cases and special education costs
0:38:41
ยท
150 sec
Council Member Lynn Schulman inquires about the average tuition costs for Carter and Connick case students over the past three fiscal years. DOE officials provide specific figures showing a significant increase in average costs year over year.
- Average tuition cost in 2021-2022: $86,991.43
- Average tuition cost in 2022-2023: $93,274.45
- Average tuition cost in 2023-2024: $99,710.19
- Discussion on efforts to reduce reliance on these cases and improve in-system education for students with special needs
Lynn Schulman
0:38:41
I wanted to ask you about Carter cases.
0:38:42
I always ask about this.
0:38:45
What is the average tuition payment per Carter and Connick case student in fiscal twenty twenty five?
0:38:51
And what was the average cost per student in fiscal twenty twenty four and fiscal twenty twenty three?
Gale A. Brewer
0:38:59
And their mother.
UNKNOWN
0:39:01
Let me just swear you in.
0:39:03
Do you affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth before this committee and to respond honestly to council member questions?
0:39:08
Liz Ledek?
Liz Vladek
0:39:09
Yes, I do.
0:39:10
Thank you.
Janine S.
0:39:11
Go ahead.
Liz Vladek
0:39:12
Good morning chair, good morning members, thank you for the question.
0:39:16
And just give me a moment to turn to our exact figures.
0:39:20
The average tuition cost in twenty twenty one-twenty two, and this is now flat average, not the median.
0:39:31
The average in twenty one-twenty two was $86,991.43 The average in school year twenty two-twenty three was $93,274.45 Last school year, the average was $99,710.19.
0:39:55
The median costs were lower than that each year but demonstrating similar large increases year over year.
Lynn Schulman
0:40:03
What are we doing, you know, and this comes up all the time at these hearings, what are we doing to try and get away from these cases so that we can actually in our system give education to these kids?
Liz Vladek
0:40:16
Thank you so much for that question.
0:40:18
It's really the vital one.
0:40:22
I definitely think the most qualified person to answer that is our Deputy Chancellor, Christina Foti, who leads all of our special education work because first and foremost, when we have the excellent programs that she's building, especially for students with autism, which we're seeing as a major area of growth, including as a cost driver, she and her teams are able to educate children with autism in our neighborhood schools in these pilot programs you know about so effectively with such powerful results at frankly a fraction of the cost.
0:40:56
So I'm happy to talk more about the legal work that my team and I are doing to try and speed the process and hold bad actors accountable and defend our programs strenuously.
0:41:08
Any questions about the legal process, I'm happy to answer.
Lynn Schulman
0:41:11
Because we we have I mean, in my district I have a a program in one of my schools, the Mel School, that's an excellent program for kids with disabilities and learning challenges and all of that.