More Special Education Jousting

This is a pretty noteworthy story. It starts off in a routine way. Parents sue Northport, Michigan school district over the IEP for their special needs child.

Then it veers off into Wonderland:
1. The hearing has been going on since late October 2007;
2. The superintendent expected 47 witnesses and 600 pieces of evidence to be presented
3. The father of the student in question is a member of the school board of the district he's suing;
4. And the residents of the town are trying to recall him!

The town recalled the father from the school board this week. They didn't buy his idea that he was a watchdog over the school district.

This is a town of only 648 people! The school district serves 150 students! The entire budget is $3.5 million.

Here's the best part, and this should chill even the blood of our Cold-Miser Emperor: "In its 2007-08 budget, the Northport board originally set aside $5,000 for legal costs for the district. In early December it increased that amount to $280,000 and has budgeted $120,000 for the 2008-09 school year, most of which would be used in an appeal depending on how the administrative law judge rules.

The district’s liability insurance provider, SET/SEG, covered the district for the first $100,000 in costs related to suit, but further costs are the district’s responsibility."

That's the costs for one student's legal challenge. Ouch!

School Board Member Ousted Over Special Education Lawsuit

Those of you who have followed the blog for a while know that I've been mesmerized with the goings-on in a tiny Michigan town where a school board member was suing his own district over his son's individualized education program.

The case at the one-school, 150-student Northport district, dragged on for months and could cost the district $250,000 if it loses.

Now, the board member, Alan Woods, has been recalled, by a decisive 2-to-1 margin. Here's an article where both the recall initiator and Woods make their respective arguments. His argument that he is trying to be a watchdog over the district clearly did not resonate.

Woods said that the fact he's not in office any more won't stop his fight. A ruling on the case is expected in September.

Posted by Christina Samuels on August 29, 2008 2:26 PM

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Big Trouble in a Little District

A leisurely search through Topix led me to a fairly dry article about a Michigan family that is suing a school district over an individualized education dispute. Pretty routine, right?

But this caught my eye: "In its 2007-08 budget, the Northport board originally set aside $5,000 for legal costs for the district. In early December it increased that amount to $280,000 and has budgeted $120,000 for the 2008-09 school year, most of which would be used in an appeal depending on how the administrative law judge rules."

Wow! Sounds like things are getting a little out of hand, especially since the one-school district's budget is about $3.5 million in total. So I started reading back in the archives of the delightfully-titled Leelanau Enterprise and learned:

1. The hearing has been going on since late October 2007;
2. The superintendent expected 47 witnesses and 600 pieces of evidence to be presented (though I can't tell if that happened);
3. The father of the student in question is a member of the school board of the district he's suing;
4. And the residents of the town are trying to recall him!

That's got to make for some chilly school board meetings. Pretty exciting stuff for a town of 648 people. I'm riveted. Thank goodness the newspaper archives are free.

Posted by Christina Samuels on June 19, 2008 6:00 PM