The Asbury Park Board of Education approved two actions recently to support its in-district special education program for students.
A 6 to 2 majority of the board approved a recommendation by the superintendent to provide an Emotional Regulation Impairment program within the district, ending the need to send seventh- and eighth-graders identified for the program to costly services outside the district.
Plus, the program will, beginning sometime in November, now extend from grades kindergarten through eight, Acting Superintendent Mark J. Gerbino explained.
“We want to do our best by all students in the district,” Gerbino said.
He added that other special education services, such as working with students with developmental differences and those with learning differences, are already handled in-district.
He said the students currently classified for the ERI program have been bused outside the district, often on a 45-minute trip with stops for pickups.
Now, these students can come back home to Asbury Park and receive specialized attention here – as well as the opportunity to return to their mainstreamed classroom setting, if possible, he said.
Gerbino said an added benefit of the move is cost savings. The return of the two ERI students now sent out of district alone will be about $100,000, he said.
And as the program develops, Asbury Park hopes to offer it to other districts and potentially create a revenue stream. The district already has a teacher on staff for the program, he added.
“We’re starting slowly so everything is in place. We don’t want to overshoot,” Gerbino said.
Here is an excerpt from the resolution, approved Oct. 17:
“The ERI Program shall serve students who have similar intensive educational, behavioral, and other needs related to their disabilities in accordance with their IEPs (individual education plan). The primary goal of the ERI program is to help students develop emotional regulation skills that will enhance their ability to function academically, socially, and behaviorally.
“This leads to a reduction in disruptive behaviors, fewer disciplinary actions, increased engagement in learning, and improved relationships between students and staff. Students may become more resilient and successful beyond the classroom, promoting long-term mental health and social-emotional well-being.”
Establishing the ERI programming in the district will enable acceptance of tuition students from other districts into Asbury Park. There is no additional cost to the district, the resolution states.
Another action the board took Oct. 17 was the hiring of a consultant for special education services. The consultant’s work is helping establish the ERI program and other special education goals, Gerbino said, including looking for cost savings.
The board majority approved, upon Gerbino’s recommendation, “an agreement between Asbury Park Board of Education and CJ Marano Consulting to be the Consultative Director for the Department of Special Services,” according to the second resolution.
Carolyn Marano of Marano Consulting will provide services at a rate of $750 per day for up to three days per week beginning Oct.1, 2024 through Oct. 31, 2024. The total cost not to exceed: $10,000, according to the resolution.
Marano had been the director of special services for the district from 2016 to 2019, according to her online bio. She then served for a year as an Assistant Commissioner of Education, Division of Student Services, for the state.
Gerbino said the district has already saved costs by slimming in-district special education administration by ending the position of Director of Special Services, incorporating those duties into the existing Supervisor of Special Services position as of this summer. The consulting contract is retroactive and on a month-to-month basis, and less costly than the in-house administrative position.
