Stimulus will fund six special education spots in Amherst schools

Federal stimulus funds are paying for six special education positions in Amherst County schools.

The school board approved the spots last week at a regularly scheduled meeting. The new spots include two paraprofessionals, three support specialists and a teaching position.

Central Elementary School will be home to the new teaching position, which is for early childhood education, and officials said that teacher will work with the school’s autistic population. Central will also house one of the added paraprofessionals.

The additional paraprofessional will work with the Middle School Special Education Program at Amherst Education Center.

Among the newly added posts, the three support specialists will be funded by stimulus money for three years. Once the funds run out, division officials do not anticipate being able to maintain them.

The two paraprofessionals and the teacher, on the other hand, are required. According to a division memo, they are needed to satisfy special education service and caseload requirements. Once stimulus funds run out, the division will have to find other funds.

Stimulus money, which is given only for the next two years, comes via three different sources. Most divisions, including Amherst, have added the state stabilization portion of the funds to their budget. School systems also receive funding through Title I, a federal program aimed at helping disadvantaged students, and IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which aids special education students.

During the Amherst County School Board’s June 11 meeting, a math curriculum specialist was also added using Title I stimulus dollars.

The specialist, which will be a one-year position that will renewed pending funding, will work with math instruction at the county’s Title I elementary schools. According to a division memo, the specialist will lead with data analysis and planning sessions.