Chapter III

BESB Organization and Operations

The Board of Education and Services for the Blind, the state's comprehensive service agency for persons of all ages with vision-related disabilities, is located within the Department of Social Services for administrative purposes only. It is headed by an executive director who is appointed by the governor. The board itself consists of six members appointed by the governor, two of whom must be blind, and the social services commissioner as an ex officio member. Neither the director nor any board members are required to have a background or qualifications in educational services for children who are blind or visually impaired.

Over the years the board has become essentially an advisory body; its only statutory duties are to maintain a registry of blind persons and make an annual activity report to the governor. Most powers, such as the authority to determine eligibility for agency services and amount and type of services provided, approve financial assistance payments, and contract for services, have been transferred to the executive director.

As Figure III-1 shows, the agency is composed of four programmatic divisions - adult services, vocational rehabilitation, industries, and children's services - and a business administration division. The Children's Services Division has primary responsibility for providing the agency's vision-related special education services to children who are blind or visually impaired. Other divisions of the agency, however, also serve children. For example, vocation rehabilitation staff provide career counseling and help with the transition from school to work. Children also receive orientation and mobility training and independent living skills assistance from mobility and rehabilitation specialists within the Adult Services division.

The Children's Services Division carries out the agency's four main functions related to education for children who are blind or visually impaired. These are:

• technical assistance;
• consultative and direct instruction;
• material resource center; and
• financial support for instructional materials and services.

Each one is described in more detail below. An overview of the division's organization, basic budget information, and a description of the intake and service planning process is also provided in this chapter.

It is important to note that the Board of Education and Services for the Blind is in a significant transition period. The current executive director was appointed at beginning of 2000 after several years of scandal and questionable practices by top officials in the agency. The new director has reorganized and replaced many manager-level personnel and is formalizing agency policies and procedures. He also initiated a strategic planning process, the first for the agency, and is considering a major restructuring of all BESB services, including educational services for children. After several years of development, a new computerized accounting system is nearing completion and is expected to be fully in place sometime next year.

All of these changes will have an impact on the Children's Services Division operations described below and may result in improvements in several critical areas. For example, no policy manual has been developed for the division and there are few written policies or procedures. A planning document with goals, objectives, and outcome measures has never been prepared for the Children's Service Division. At present, the agency's data on educational services are fragmented and some has yet to be automated, making it difficult for the division to integrate and summarize client services and expenditure information for planning or monitoring purposes.

Organization

The organization chart presented in Figure III-2 shows the Children's Services Division is composed of 31 positions, most of which are education consultants, and is headed by a division chief. There has been considerable turnover in the chief position and it is currently vacant. Plans to fill the position are on hold while the BESB management team considers agency-wide restructuring options.

The division's education supervisor position, which oversees the education consultant staff, is relatively new. It was established about three years ago to bring more accountability and uniformity to the agency's teaching services. The education consultants and the education supervisor all are certified teachers of the visually impaired. At present, 2 of the 22 education consultant positions are vacant and have remained unfilled for a number of years.

The Braille coordinator position is responsible for maintaining the division's educational material resource center, described in more detail below. The division's six administrative support staff positions, in addition to standard clerical functions, do the initial processing of district requests for material and equipment purchases and for reimbursement of special education costs. The actual purchasing process and final processing and accounting is handled by the agency's business office.

Budget

Each year since FY 95, BESB has paid between about $6.5 million and almost $11.5 million of the special education costs of students who are blind or visually impaired. Expenditures are shown for each year and each children's services program category (i.e., preschool, visually impaired, legally blind, and multi-handicapped) in Table III-1. The amounts shown are only the expenditures the agency makes in accordance with its statutory per-child special education grant program. Costs associated with BESB education consultant services or other educational services provided by the agency at no charge to local districts are not included. The agency was unable to compile information on personnel and other expenses related to children's services requested by program review committee staff during the study.

The spike in children's services program expenditures in FY 96 is apparently due to an effort by agency fiscal staff to clear up a longstanding backlog of town requests for special education cost reimbursements. The drop-off in payments within the multi-handicapped program after FY 97 reflects a change in the agency's reimbursement policy instituted by the children's services chief with the support of the executive director during that year. The policy, which is still in effect, strictly interprets what special education services, materials, and equipment are vision-related and only makes payments for costs directly related to the visual impairment of a student.

Expenditure information presented in Table III-2 shows total payments made for FY 01 divided by the total number of children funded in each major service category. Expenditures on a per client basis were highest for multi-handicapped children ($9,516) and lowest for preschool program clients ($1,212). The table also shows average expenditures per student for visually impaired and legally blind children do not come close to the statutory cap of $6,400. More detailed information on actual expenditures per child and by purpose was complied and analyzed by program review committee staff to determine what types of services BESB special education funding is used for, and what, if any, funding patterns exist among children. Findings resulting from this analysis are presented in the following chapter.

Intake and Service Planning Process

The main steps in the process for becoming a BESB educational services client are outlined in Figure III-3. Children can be referred for BESB educational services from a number of sources - schools, medical professionals, the Birth to Three program, other programs that work with children, and sometimes directly by parents. The initial intake process for all agency clients including children is handled by social work staff in the Adult Services Division. In addition to an application form, an eye report from an eye professional must be submitted to the agency to determine if the child's vision meets the statutory criteria (i.e., legally blind or visually impaired) for BESB services.

Once a child has been found eligible for BESB services, the approved application packet is sent to the Children Services Division. The division then sends a letter to the child's parents and school district saying the child may be eligible for BESB educational services if documentation of special education status and a current individual education program are submitted. (For infants and toddlers in the Birth to Three program, the division requires the child's individual family service plan be submitted.)

When a child's special education (or Birth to Three) paperwork is received, he or she is added to the division's client roster, a file is opened, and an account is set up to track client expenditures. Preschoolers and school-age children who live in towns served by BESB education consultants are assigned to one of the division's teachers.

Children's teachers, whether BESB education consultants or district itinerants, are the liaisons between the school districts and the agency regarding vision-related education matters including eligibility for agency education funds and services. BESB regulations require teachers to provide the agency with annual progress reports on each child and to report within 45 days any changes in residence, needs, visual functioning, or services provided. Children remain clients of the division until they graduate high school (or turn 21) unless their vision improves beyond the statutory definition of visual impairment or they no longer qualify for special education. (As adults, they remain BESB clients, eligible for all other services, as long as they are legally blind.)

The types and amounts of educational services BESB provides and funds are guided by the special education IEP process (see Appendix B) and, for Birth to Three clients, the similar IFSP process. BESB responsibilities for direct instruction, books and other materials, or any specialized equipment are discussed by the IEP team and included in the written education program document. Any modifications in the agency's role outlined in a child's program, like any IEP changes, must be made through a team meeting.

BESB regulations on special education cost reimbursement and internal policies on funding priorities also determine the division's level of participation in a child's educational program. Direct instruction service levels are additionally dependent on available teaching staff resources.

Technical Assistance and Instruction Services

The education consultants of the Children's Services Division provide direct services to special education students and youngsters in the Birth to Three program. For the 2000-01 school year, 14 of the division's 20 education consultants worked with school-age students and six worked with preschool children. One of the school-age and one of the preschool teachers specialized in serving children who are deaf-blind. The division supplements its educational services workforce through a contract with the Capitol Region Education Council, the greater Hartford area regional education service center. During the last school year, the division contracted for the services of four preschool teachers of the visually impaired, two professionals who conduct psychological and educational evaluations, a family therapist, and an assistive technology expert.

Although called education consultants, the BESB staff act as itinerant teachers of the visually impaired in a number of school districts. They are responsible for instructing children and advising local district personnel and parents on all vision-related education matters. At present, BESB teachers serve preschoolers in about 80 towns and work with school age children in nearly 100 municipalities. As noted in the previous section, the agency provides its teacher services at no cost to local school districts. School systems with BESB education consultants, therefore, essentially receive more state financial assistance for special education costs than those that hire their own teachers of the visually impaired.

The assignment of agency education consultants to local school districts is historical and there is no written policy on the matter. BESB started providing teachers to the smaller and more rural school districts that had few students and trouble obtaining the part-time services they needed when special education mainstreaming began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Larger school systems had enough blind and visually impaired students in their schools to require full-time positions and hired their own teaching staff. It is the division's practice not to provide its teacher services to districts that traditionally have hired their own staff so assignments have not changed over time. Another reason assignments have not expanded is the authorized staffing level for BESB teachers, despite increasing caseloads and requests for services from districts not currently served, has remained at 22 positions over the last 10 years.

The BESB education consultants are classified state employees. Under their current contract with the agency, all education consultants work from September 1 through June 30. Their services, therefore, are not available during the summer unless special arrangements are made and additional funding is available for that purpose. The lack of summer services is considered a problem by a number of parents and teachers and may be a federal compliance issue in the Birth to Three program.

Committees. The Children's Services Division provides technical assistance to local district personnel and parents through a number of projects organized by committees of BESB education consultants. The professional development committee, in addition to supporting training for BESB personnel, organizes in-service programs on vision-related education matters for all staff who work with the division's clients. Recently, the division sponsored Braille courses for paraprofessionals who work with blind children. Another committee is involved in developing special events for blind and visually impaired children and their parents throughout the state. A separate committee was also formed to create and maintain a professional library for individuals working with blind and visually impaired children. A technology committee is examining skills children need to use computers effectively and ways to provide training programs, possibly through summer camps sponsored by BESB.

Material Resource Center

A critical component of the education program of a student who is blind or visually is having all instructional materials, from textbooks to homework "dittos," available in an accessible format. For many students this means materials available to sighted classmates in regular print form must be transcribed into Braille or published in large print. The material resource center within BESB's children's services center coordinates the transcription and circulation of Braille and large print materials for all clients of the Children's Services Division.

Any teacher of the visually impaired can place orders for instructional materials for their students who are children's services clients with the division's Braille coordinator, who manages the material resources center. Each year, the center provides materials to about 300 students. As of September 5, 2000, the center had received 593 orders for Braille materials and 833 orders for large print items for the current school year.

The center maintains an inventory of thousands of Braille and large print materials which are circulated to students throughout the state at no charge. If a text book or other item required for a course in not "on shelf," the coordinator will try to purchase it from one of the many vendors of Braille and large print books throughout the country. If the item is not available from a vendor (or is extraordinarily expensive), the Braille coordinator, with the assistance of a staff of volunteers, will transcribe it for the student. Materials prepared in-house are provided at no charge to the student.

Using the BESB material resource center can significantly reduce vision-related special education costs for a local school district. Braille books in particular are expensive, costing on average between $300 and $500; many older school-age children need at least 10 to 15 books each year. Commercial vendors may charge $2,000 to $2,500 for the Braille version of a high school chemistry or trigonometry textbook. The amount of materials the center can provide with in-house services at no charge rather than purchase, however, is limited by available staff and volunteer resources.

Financial Support

As discussed in Chapter I, the Board of Education and Services for the Blind is authorized to provide state funding toward the costs of vision-related special education services; by law it can expend up to $6,400 per year for visually impaired or legally blind children and up to $11,000 for multiply handicapped children who are blind or visually impaired. The Children's Services Division, under regulations promulgated in 1989 and internal policy developed in 1998, distributes this financial assistance in two main ways: 1) it purchases vision-related instructional materials and equipment for districts on behalf of eligible students: and 2) it reimburses towns for vision-related instructional services and tuition provided to division clients.

The division's priorities for special education funding according to a 1998 letter sent to all districts are as follows:

1) devices (eyeglass lenses, frames, etc.) and low vision evaluations;

2) Braille and large print books;

3) services of teachers of the visually impaired hired by districts;

4) visually related materials, equipment, and supplies; and

5) visually related services and special instruction.

Except for the items included in the first category, materials, equipment, and services will only be funded by the division if they are recommended by the child's IEP team and included in the child's written education program on file with BESB.

Purchasing process. Under agency regulations, the division will not reimburse towns for the costs of "tangible items" (basically, any materials, supplies, or equipment) students require for their educational programs. Instead, districts, through the student's teacher of the visually impaired, must request the division to buy tangible items, which can range from special paper for children with low vision to computer systems and software.

The teachers submit the requests in writing to the division chief for review and approval. The division clerical staff prepare the necessary paperwork for approved purchases and make sure the proposed expenditure will not exceed the child's statutory funding cap. If adequate funding is available, the request is forwarded to the BESB business office for processing. The business office staff carry out the purchasing process in accordance with general state requirements and policies. Some inexpensive and common materials and supplies are available from the agency storeroom; otherwise, items are purchased from vendors and inventoried by the agency purchasing unit, and then delivered to clients.

The purchasing process for children's materials and equipment is frequently criticized by teachers, districts, and parents as cumbersome and fragmented. Orders are difficult to track and processing delays are common. A lack of in-house expertise on computer hardware and software, telecommunications equipment, and assistive technology is another weakness the division and its clients recognize. The agency does not compile statistics on items purchased, processing times, or purchasing outcomes and was unable to develop some data in this area as requested by program review committee staff.

Reimbursement process. Local school districts can request reimbursement from the division for certain expenses related to services of teachers of the visually impaired, special education classroom teachers, and others who provide services directly related to a child's visual disability such as aides, tutors, and readers. Division policy issued in 1998 put in place a strict interpretation of vision-related services and clarified the types of reimbursable services as well as the formulas for calculating reimbursements of personnel costs. Districts can also be reimbursed for (or make arrangements for direct payment of) tuition costs at special facilities that serve their students who are blind or visually impaired.

The reimbursement process has many steps and requirements, as Figure III-4 shows. Districts must submit an application for reimbursement for each student that contains detailed information on proposed services including providers' names, dates of services, rates, and amounts of services. The application is reviewed and approved by the division chief. Once approved, the district is sent a letter stating the maximum amounts approved for possible reimbursement.

To receive payments, a district must submit invoices according to a three-phase ("trimester") schedule. The invoices are reviewed and approved by the division chief before they are given to clerical staff for initial processing. The division clerical staff enter the information in a client worksheet and check another database to make sure the requested expenditures in combination with other payments (e.g., for books and supplies) are within the child's statutory funding cap. If adequate funding is available, invoices are forwarded to the business office for final processing. The business office completes the necessary paperwork to send the state comptroller's office for payment.

The BESB fiscal office was asked by program review to compile data on the types and amounts of reimbursements requested and paid, as well as the total payments made to each district for the past two fiscal years. Due to limitations of the agency's accounting system, including automation delays and other technical problems, the data were not provided.

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