Fee for Service to Start This Fall
Posted on August 3, 2006
The State I-Team has been fully funded by the State Department of Education since 1979. Due to rising costs and reduced available funds, the I-Team have experienced level funding for the past several years. This has resulted in a situation where the I-Team is no longer able to sustain itself on the State Grant alone. We no longer have funds available for professional development, equipment or materials and our travel funds are running out earlier each year. The impact is that the I-Team is being impeded in its ability to support school teams and families of students with intensive needs.
For these reasons and with the support of the Vermont State Department of Education, we are initiating the following fee for service model for the 2006/07 school year. Notice that the I-Team will still provide a substantial level of service for no additional fees. When fees do apply, a flat fee of $395 per student be will assessed.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding. It was a difficult decision for us to move to this model. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to call or e-mail us.
SERVICES FUNDED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
1. Initial Student Referral: There will be no fees for initial referrals each year. Initial referrals are those referrals that require up to two on-site visits by the Regional Educational Consultant and/or one or more State Interdisciplinary Consultants. E-mail and phone follow-up for the remainder of the school year is included.
2. Services of the I-Team Family Resources Consultants:
Family Resource Consultants will be available to provide information and support to referred student’s families throughout the school year. Services of the Family Resources consultant beyond the initial referral period does not require a long-term referral.
3. Services to Schools That Are Not Student Specific:
A. Systems Change Referrals: A referral to the State I-team by a school administrator to assist the administrator and identified school personnel to develop a plan to affect a change (e.g., explore alternative ways to deliver special education and related services, incorporate collaborative teaming practices within the work of various school teams, ex-plore ways to better involve peers in supporting students with disabilities) within the school.
B. Collegial Referrals: Collegial referrals are specific referrals that are not student specific from a special educator or a related services provider to access the skills and knowledge of I-team educational consultants, occupational therapist, physical therapist or communi-cation consultant. For example, a local OT might want to work with the I-team OT to de-velop a system for providing for the sensory needs of a variety of students within the school.
C. Short-term Training Referral: A school administrator might request in-service training on a specific topic that relates to the education of students with intensive needs to be de-livered to school staff, family and/or community members. Short-term training refers to training that lasts for up to one school day. A school may request more than one training per year as long as the training topics are different. More than one day of training on a specific topic constitutes a long-team training (see below).
4. ISE Endorsement Program: I-Team personnel will continue to develop and refine coursework for the Intensive Special Education (ISE) Endorsement Program. I-team con-sultants will also teach UVM courses within the ISE Endorsement program for the Higher Education Collaborative and will supervise ISE student practica with I-team referred students in need of intensive special education. Courses will be offered in two locations each semes-ter so that coursework is accessible to certified special education teachers across the state.
FEE FOR SERVICE
1. Long-Term Student Referral: When a school determines that they want additional days of on-site consultation, technical assistance and/or training to the school team beyond the two days of the initial referral period, the school will be charged a once per year long-term referral fee of $395.
2. Long-term Training Referral: A school administrator might request in-service train-ing on a specific topic or a group of topics that relates to the education of students with in-tensive needs to be delivered to school staff, family and/or community members. Long-term training involves a series of workshops over the course of the year. Training may result in “salary” credits from the school district or may be organized into a University of Vermont course offered for credit (persons desiring UVM credit will have to pay for those credits separately). Costs for long-term training will equal $90.00 per hour of actually training time (preparation time and travel will not be billed).
Thanks Marie Rock - We Will Miss You
Posted on May 24, 2006
As some of you know, Marie Rock, has been the I-team Support Person and the very heart and soul of the I-Team for the past several years (actually more than several but I don't want to say exactly how many years!). She has left her position with us. She has moved to the office next door and is now the Office Manager for the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion at the University of Vermont. Congratulations, Marie!!!
This is a career advancement for Marie and we are so pleased for her, even though we will dearly miss her. Fortunately for us we will still see her and interact with her every time we enter our offices at CDCI.
Marie is a very hard person to replace and we have been trying for a few weeks now. As soon as we have hired her replacment, I will introduce him or her to you right here on the blog.
Until then, please bear with us.
I-Team Moving Towards a Fee for Service Model
Posted on May 3, 2006
Yes, I am afraid that after almost 26 years of service to Vermont students, educators and families, the I-Team is deciding on a fee for service model to pilot for the 2006/07 school year. The fee for service model has not been finalized but will be unveiled in the near future.
The I-team has been fully funded through the Vermont State Department of Education since 1980. In recent years, the State has had to level fund (with small cost of living increases) many programs, including the I-Team. This year, we have finally reached a point (partly due to the rising cost of gas and the need to repair / replace aging computers) where we are unable to cover our expenses. We are therefore, with the support of the State Department of Education, going to be asking school districts that we serve to pay a small fee for our services. We considered a statewide bake sale, but that idea was tabled due to the fact that we are much better consultants than we are bakers!
Please, Don't Panic. The cost will be minimal, but it will allow us to meet our needs so that we can meet your needs and the needs of our children and youth with intensive needs. I will let you know the specifics as soon as I know them.
Thank you for your continued support.
Tim Fox
I-Team Coordinator
Parents Helping Parents
Posted on November 8, 2005
Our own Paula Manzi, Parent Resources Consultant in the Northeast Region, was featured in an article in theFall 2005 Parent to Parent Newsletter, "The Heart of It...". To view the article, click on the link below.
The entire newsletter can be viewed at : http://www.partoparvt.org/05FallNews1.html#feature
Thanks, Paula. Keep up the great work!
