The Capital School District Board of Education recently agreed on its legislative priorities for fiscal 2009, putting funding for Division I and III, Response to Intervention  and additional positions on top.

    Initially starting with nine priorities, the list was trimmed to four after debate.

    When asked for his input, Dr. Michael Thomas’s recommendations and the board’s final decisions overlapped with three choices, but Thomas advocated for increased funding for alternative education programs, a priority that did not get picked up.

    “Alternative education is a buzz in education around this country, not just in the state of Delaware,” he said. “Every kid doesn’t learn the exact same way.”

    One of the priorities board members were vocal about was developing a funding structure to meet the needs and mandates of Response to Intervention.

    RTI attempts to ensure that a student’s poor performance is not linked to inadequate instruction or improper curriculum, according to the state Department of Education’s website. It defines RTI as the practice of providing high-quality instruction and interventions according to student need. It also encourages frequent monitoring so appropriate changes can be made to student instruction.

    “RTI should be used for making decisions about general, compensatory and special education, creating a well-integrated system of instruction/intervention guided by child outcome data,” according to the website, which cited the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Council of Administrators of Special Education.

    Districts are required to implement RTI for all elementary school students this school year and no later than the 2009-2010 school year for all other students.

    Darryl Scott said RTI was a priority that had to remain on the list. Although fellow board member Thomas Keitel agreed, he deemed it an unfunded mandate.

    Districts are allowed to use up to 15% of Part B funds, or federal grant money under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to develop and implement the program. RTI is designed for students who are not identified as needing special education or related services, according to the Department of Education’s website.

    “I think the RTI issue is incredibly important but I don’t think we can put a hard and fast dollar number on that,” Thomas said.

    Board members agreed that increased funding for Divisions I and III would enable the district to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining teachers, and increasing operational costs.

    They also voted to create funding for technology, counseling, library and nursing positions through the unit count formula. Finally, they agreed that money taken from districts due to the fiscal 2009 budget bill should be reinstated to the districts.

    Capital will present its legislative priorities along with the state’s other districts to the Delaware School Boards Association, which will then whittle down the list of priorities.

In other news ...

    Sandra C. Spangler, supervisor of instruction, gave a presentation to the board regarding a Home Access Center for parents. The initiative would assign parents and/or students a password so they could go online to access grades, attendance, assignments, course schedule, disciplinary notes, class work, interim progress reports, report cards and registration information. Districts determine which of these components will be available to viewers.

    A pilot program of the Home Access Center is planned to follow the first marking period at Dover High School. The ultimate plan is to implement the program at Dover High School, Central Middle School and William Henry Middle School for the 2009-2010 school year.

Email Sarika Jagtiani at sarika.jagtiani@doverpost.com