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ESD expects no drastic changes But STEPS growth could sap future budgets By VICKI GUARINO A rapidly growing educational program for severely disabled youngsters continues to draw scarce funds from other services, but for the coming school year, at least, no drastic changes in Jackson Education Service District programs are expected. "Basically, we're going to pay the increases ourselves and try to get through the year," ESD Superintendent Joe Crowder said Wednesday. His staff is pulling together an estimated $31 million-plus budget that maintains a range of programs -- from technology education to English as a second language. Across the board, however, managers will be expected to slice a total of $400,000 in expenses during the coming school year to cover anticipated cost increases. The plan is vastly different from ESD budget-balancing maneuvers a year ago that caught local school district officials by surprise. The ESD closed down its $1.6 million speech therapy program to cover rising costs of services to severely disabled youngsters -- a program called STEPS. The STEPS increase resulted from enrollment gains. Since last year, STEPS enrollment has risen by about 30 percent. When the allocation change was announced late last spring, local school district superintendents protested what they said was a sudden and drastic move. Because of the protests and a more generous funding decision by the state Legislature, ESD managers were able to restore almost a third of the speech therapy funding. Local districts had to come up with the remainder. The partial funding of speech therapy will continue next year, according to budget plans ESD staff members are finishing this week. A completed proposed budget is expected to go to ESD budget committee members on Monday. The committee's first meeting is scheduled for April 5. The proposed budget also maintains other services within these program areas: technology education, special education, English as a second language and school at the Jackson County shelter home. The plan absorbs a projected 15 percent enrollment gain in STEPS. Enrollment in the program is based on assessments of students' abilities and educational needs by a team of ESD and school district personnel. Enrollment has increased by at least 14 percent in the past four years, while countywide public school enrollment has increased by about 1-2 percent a year. The increases probably result from a variety of factors, Crowder said, from medical advances that have greatly improved survival rates of handicapped infants, to availability here of social and medical services that draw the families of handicapped youngsters. Also, he suspects, educators have become more vigilant and aggressive about identifying needy youngsters and getting them enrolled in special programs. STEPS is expected to continue growing in years to come -- a forecast that makes ESD budget balancing precarious. At the present rate of growth, Crowder has calculated, the ESD could shut down all other services during the next few years to pay for STEPS, but still would run short of money to fully fund it in four years. Given that bleak prediction, Crowder has launched a yearlong study with the superintendents of the 11 Southern Oregon districts the Jackson ESD serves. The group, which began meeting in February, is examining all ESD services and funding. "We're going to do that study, but the writing is on the wall: If special education increases as we project it will, the extra funds are going to have to come from the local district," said Crowder. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA