Where is California's $2 billion really goin? AB. 126

WEBVTT

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Beyond the Spectrum every age every need.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I am your host, John Francis, and today we're going to be talking about AB 126, which is the bill put into legislation by Governor of California Gavin Newsom, which has earmarked $2.4 billion for special education.

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[SPEAKER_01]: On one hand, it's everywhere, and on the other hand,

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[SPEAKER_01]: see too much conversation taking place about it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But there's a lot of questions that I had a little bit of research and wanted to share that here with you today on another episode of Beyond the Spectrum.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, before we get started, we want to make sure that we acknowledge and give thanks to our community partners, the first of which is Billy Footwear, Billy Footwear, there are a company that make adaptive footwear for all.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The story of the found to Billy Price is one that is amazing and inspiring.

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[SPEAKER_01]: paralyzed, and he had to learn to do everything all over again for himself, which he was able to do with the exception of putting shoes on his feet.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A prototype was born, a prototype was made in Billy Footwear was born, and they have served netty and sold over one million pair of shoes.

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[SPEAKER_01]: If you click on the show notes, you can get a discount of 10% of your final purchase, and that includes any sale items that they might have taking place where they usually, which they usually do at the end of the year and towards the end of the summer

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[SPEAKER_01]: Our next community partner, we'd like to give thanks to and acknowledges soul, grain, granola.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Soul grain is a different company.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's my an already owned by two women that are friends of the show, Sylvia and Lisa, and they unlike most food products, they have food items that are in the marketplace that have artificial ingredients

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[SPEAKER_01]: they have no artificial ingredients at all and they have delicious flavors and the most recent one which they've just come out with is lemon tart.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my gosh, there's a sweet potato, there's a mango, just a variety of different things.

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[SPEAKER_01]: If you click on the show notes, you'll get 10% of your final purchase, or you can use the code BTS10, that is BTS10.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And anything that matters to anyone is twice as important to those of us that are caregivers and nutrition is no exception.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So make sure you check out Soul Green.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then our newest community partner is Meet B,

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[SPEAKER_01]: That is, meet B is a app and service that is designed to bridge the gap between support and independence.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so the way that it works as a subscription, that you will pay and you have stakeholders that are all involved to help with goal setting.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Whether you're talking about someone that has a chemical dependency, someone that is nowhere divergent,

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[SPEAKER_01]: The stakeholders usually involve caregivers and parents therapist and things in that sort and you can all track the progress.

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[SPEAKER_01]: that your loved one is making in order to get from point in a point being, hopefully achieve some level of complete independence at some point.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you click on the link in the show notes, you will get 10% off of your initial subscription.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the last thing I want to do is just encourage you if you happen to

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[SPEAKER_01]: If you are a male who's a caregiver, father, or otherwise, or you know someone that is someone that you love especially, I want to encourage you to join us for our men's group known as the Dan.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We meet bi-weekly on Zoom and we always tell everyone that we can go as the or a shallow as you may want with regard to anything that you want to talk about.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It really

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[SPEAKER_01]: men who are caregivers to come together, remind each other that we're not alone.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There are a plethora of opportunities out there for women who are caregivers.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And as far as I'm concerned, you know, you can never have too many of them.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the fact is there are two things that play.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There are less options available for men.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And as men, we're not usually

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[SPEAKER_01]: as willing to be open or vulnerable.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so to be able to create a safe space for us to do that, that's something that

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[SPEAKER_01]: we decided to do as we saw that those opportunities are far and few for men.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not a therapy session.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, there are some people that show up every couple of weeks, there are some people that show up every couple months, there are some people that do not miss and we have members anywhere from here in Southern California, Mexico City, the East Coast, and in between.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So the registration is free and the link to do so will be found in the show notes

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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's jump right into it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I didn't hear a lot of conversation from people that I know, fellow caregivers, talking about this historic event or investment.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I found myself coming to grips with, I'm not a skeptic.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not a conspiracy theorist.

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[SPEAKER_01]: begin to think that $2.4 billion is special education.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That sounds fantastic.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the first thing I wondered was, one of the first things was, where is that money going to go?

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[SPEAKER_01]: How is it going to be spent?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And is there anything that is going to

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[SPEAKER_01]: get in the way of it being allocated as intended, specifically for special education, and what happens when a governor lives off us.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what those answers are.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But what it did is put a brief together that will examine the historic investment and its purpose.

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[SPEAKER_01]: and figure out will the investment proves the lives of children with disabilities and their families?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we'll go over exactly what it is as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to try and separate facts from assumptions and promises from implementation and then looking at the funding separating the funding from the outcomes.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I don't know if I should say unfortunately, but factually, we don't know some of these answers,

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[SPEAKER_01]: until time is allowed to do its thing because you can have the best intention and have everything laid out but a lot of the stuff we weren't really no until the years go by and we see what kind of outcome there is long-term and what the legs are as they say.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So first thing we'll take a look at

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we begin to wonder for those of you that are not in Southern California or in California.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The question becomes, you know, how does this can impact other states, will it serve as a model?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Other states don't have the same economic make-up ratio that California does.

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[SPEAKER_01]: what these answers are.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the fact is, California is home to more students than any other state.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There are many people that move here to California in order to take care of, take advantage of, excuse me, take advantage of the free benefit and services that are available for those for the disabilities.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Compared to the rest of the country, the state is very, very progressive.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm very thankful that we have them to be here, to be able to take advantage of those things as a relates to our son, who is 20 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But I never thought to think about the fact that there's 800,000 students or that says a lot, because and that's just, you know, that's California as a whole.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It also happens to have, I think it's a second largest school district in the country and Los Angeles Unified.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lot.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So with 800,000 students needing special education services specifically, not just 800,000 students just significantly more than that, but 800,000 students in the state that need

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[SPEAKER_01]: special education services, making California special education system one of the largest in the world, not the country.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So every dollar invested or not invested affects the following things.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Children, parents, teachers, therapists, school districts, taxpayers, future employers and communities as a whole.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so the announcement was made

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[SPEAKER_01]: This month in July, we're Governor Gassen, Gavin Newsom signed the Education Budget.

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[SPEAKER_01]: One provision that immediate daily did make national headlines is the bill that we're talking about, which is that California is committed $2.4 billion towards K through 12 special education.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That is a 43% increase over their prior year.

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[SPEAKER_01]: state officials describe it as the largest investment in special education in California history.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'd be curious to know how that compares to other states over history.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, looking at what Governor Newsom has stated, the goals include greater equity, increased support, more consistent funding, and better educational outcomes, as well as stronger

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, in our history, my wife and I, and advocating for our son, we've experienced minimal pushback from the school district, the school district that he's been in.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And any issues that have come up have been handled in an appropriate and effective manner.

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[SPEAKER_01]: was able to, through meeting with their local district over time, get an autism program at the middle school level.

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[SPEAKER_01]: They did not have that at that level at that time.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It was only in the gosh.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I guess it would be primary or just before elementary.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There wasn't anything like that at the elementary

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[SPEAKER_01]: were able to do that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Other than that, I haven't had a need to really push back like a whole lot even though we've always been prepared for that kind of thing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But I've also not taken for granted that, you know, that doesn't mean that it can't change, you know, on a dime for anyone.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I know many other people quite a few, even in the same district, that did in fact have

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[SPEAKER_01]: the per-students special education rate statewide.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So that means the amount of funds that are per-student statewide, increasing it to approximately.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And interesting, I don't know why they have an approximation as opposed to solid figure.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the approximate amount is $1,340 per-student.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So local education agencies receive funding at the same rate.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think there's two things to consider.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's the increase and then there's the intent to have it the same all across the board, meaning the funding rate.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would imagine that that then means that for years

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[SPEAKER_01]: hasn't been, which you can imagine, that's probably an interesting dilemma on to itself.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, let's look at why it's historic as opposed to just the amount.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's the largest increase in the state, especially education funding.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's a major increase statewide for K through 12.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then part of the broader education budget is totally 151.4 billion.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's the highest level of

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[SPEAKER_01]: PK through 12 funding in the state history.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So the bigger question is, money alone doesn't change life.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So obviously, if you've got that much that is earmarked to improve lives, you need to have a plan in place that is going to put the money in the or spend in the right areas or to address the areas that will give the greatest improvement in terms of quality of life.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But that's where the implementation comes in.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's more than just the dollars.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So at least to the central question of the episode is, what happens after the press conference?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's interesting, I need to look it up.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't see the press conference myself.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I just heard that I saw it on social media and right away, someone that I know made a post-asking question that I'll end the show with.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, interesting to see what you would do with that money if it was completely up to you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a whole bunch of different answers.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure people will have, but we'll touch on that at the end of the show.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But what we're going to try and answer best is where were the money actually go?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will classrooms notice?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will parents notice?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will children receive better services?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will teachers shortages improve?

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[SPEAKER_01]: and we'll speech therapy improve, we'll occupational therapy improve, transition programs, and then how will tax payers know whether the money was well spent?

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's something that we plan to keep an eye on, going forth, because it's something that comes about today and then it just goes away.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a certain amount of accountability that has to take place also, which they said would.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, and look at why families are both hopeful and skeptical.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's the best way to describe it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Because when I saw that number, I thought, gosh, that's quite a bit of money, that's promising.

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[SPEAKER_01]: What I found myself placing two different things.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The fact that I was, I don't even know if I should say skeptical, but cautious and

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[SPEAKER_01]: I was trying to figure out why I was thinking that because I'm generally an optimistic person, but, you know, I don't know, I think maybe it's just a matter of, I'm still trying to figure that out myself because again, like I said, our experience has been pretty great with regard to school

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[SPEAKER_01]: But people have experienced the laid services, shortages of teachers, insufficient aids, long assessment, wait times, inconsistent implementation, and funding that never seemed to reach the classrooms.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We did have one instance, but it wasn't really limited to the district.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It was a teacher that, you know, we just, you know, a kind person, but

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[SPEAKER_01]: see like maybe they had been teaching too long or you know maybe they were tired of it because there was it was more of a personal thing that's the only thing I can I can say it was a situation where the teacher was never directly rude but the communication was such that if we want to

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, a burden or inconvenient, so to speak.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And we had never experienced that before.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But that's your biggest concern, and it's been addressed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Then life is good.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But despite that, like I said, I just found myself questioning, OK, how is this all going to work out?

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[SPEAKER_01]: So because of the experiences that I mentioned, which most, some other families have gone through,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Many families celebrate the investment while at the same time, simultaneously asking, you know, will it actually be different?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I guess that's the question that it really comes down to us.

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[SPEAKER_01]: How is this going to be different?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will we feel this?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Or will it be a situation where people forget that that money that much amount of money has been put aside specifically for the purpose anyway?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And hopefully that doesn't take place.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the episode is not about Governor Newsom.

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[SPEAKER_01]: What it is about is about children, families, educators, therapists, caregivers, and future adult disabilities.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's what it really comes down to.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's really about us in our community.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so the perspective that I hope to bring is that

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, one of the greatest mistakes that we can make as a society is assuming that spending money automatically saves problems.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Everything is about implementation and discipline.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes it solves problems, sometimes it doesn't.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the real question is how much money was appropriated.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But yet, even better one would be what measurable difference will it make in the life of a child.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And there was one of the things that I mentioned earlier just a minute ago where I talked about,

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[SPEAKER_01]: adults.

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[SPEAKER_01]: These children with disabilities in school now will become adults with disabilities.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And you have to wonder how much the implementation of this plan will improve their lives at that point in time later on.

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[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, other benefits that are going to exceed their experience in school.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would say that if the money is spent right, it should

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[SPEAKER_01]: have benefits to take place after they're finished with high school as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So if California spends another 2.4 billion, what should the success look like?

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's the other thing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We should be asking questions like, again, we'll have shorter waiting lists, better inclusion, better employment outcomes, and how will we know whether we've achieved it?

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if they've provided

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[SPEAKER_01]: and answers to what that looks like.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That's something that I'll cover in a future episode as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: What would success look like?

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[SPEAKER_01]: What would it look like for this program to be successful?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Other than just as quickly as possible, having better services and access to care and things of that nature.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So looking at

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[SPEAKER_01]: my personal insight.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, I don't think parents wake up in the morning, you know, asking whether Sacramento spent another $2 billion.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So again, the information sounds great.

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[SPEAKER_01]: $2 billion, okay, it's great.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But what most parents are thinking is will my child receive speech therapy this month?

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[SPEAKER_01]: will they have the aid that they need, or will they be a fight?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will they finally receive the services that are promised in the IAP?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Will the IAP be a little bit more of a friendly experience and not adversarial?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And ultimately, I think that's how the success should be measured.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, I will cover in future episodes, but in a future episode, what the success would look like?

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[SPEAKER_01]: What I think it should probably look like?

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[SPEAKER_01]: What that looks like or will determine whether or not it's actually taking place are the families that have children in need of these services now and will for a coming years.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And especially those that are younger because there's a longer period of time and a sample size when they graduate high school to answer the following question, which is

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[SPEAKER_01]: where our lives improved in terms of the quality of service and benefits and needs that our child had.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, what remains uncertain is, again, how effectively the phones are going to be used.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Those are the things that we're trying to figure out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, time really tells that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, where's the money actually going?

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, we're going to try and separate the headlines from reality.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So when the average person here is that California is invested 2.4 billion in special education, again, the first thought is, okay, that's great, but exactly what does that mean.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's California writing every school district to check.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The answer is no, the money is not being divided equally among school districts, so that's the first thing that we've

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[SPEAKER_01]: uncovered here.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Instead, what the state is going to do is distribute special education funding through its statewide funding formula.

22:40.213 --> 22:45.999
[SPEAKER_01]: That formula is known as LEA, which is local education agencies.

22:46.599 --> 22:55.848
[SPEAKER_01]: It includes school districts, county offices of education and charter schools, which receive funding based on the state's special education funding model.

22:57.100 --> 23:02.825
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, with the new legislation increasing the statewide base rate and then equalizing the funding.

23:03.505 --> 23:11.752
[SPEAKER_01]: So each LEA then decides how to use those funds within state and federal requirements.

23:13.153 --> 23:15.836
[SPEAKER_01]: So as you can imagine, with a state as big as California.

23:15.896 --> 23:22.982
[SPEAKER_01]: It's one thing to, again, come up with an amount that is that large, but it's a great challenge to be able to administer

23:26.220 --> 23:39.070
[SPEAKER_01]: those dollars where the biggest change can take place, especially when, as I just mentioned, each local education agency will decide how to use the funds within the state and federal requirements.

23:39.510 --> 23:48.157
[SPEAKER_01]: So the other thing we will be following up on is, okay, each agency determines it what is that process, how do they determine that?

23:48.637 --> 23:52.660
[SPEAKER_01]: And is it the same for each agency?

23:53.803 --> 24:01.289
[SPEAKER_01]: So to me that leaves the room open for certain areas seeing an improvement where others might not.

24:01.629 --> 24:06.333
[SPEAKER_01]: If it's not the same, that seems like it can be a logical problem.

24:06.813 --> 24:15.700
[SPEAKER_01]: So the money is intended to support students with disabilities not to create separate cash payments for every child.

24:16.040 --> 24:17.701
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure anybody would think that anyway.

24:18.382 --> 24:18.542
[SPEAKER_01]: But

24:19.873 --> 24:21.993
[SPEAKER_01]: For a discussion point, let's say your trial is an IAP.

24:22.394 --> 24:24.054
[SPEAKER_01]: The state just gave my trial more money.

24:24.114 --> 24:31.015
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what some people may think, and that's not necessarily, I shouldn't say not necessarily, that is not how the actual funding works.

24:31.535 --> 24:37.877
[SPEAKER_01]: So the dollar flow to educational agencies as we mentioned, which each decides how that's been.

24:40.237 --> 24:43.418
[SPEAKER_01]: So the next question would be, what is the state trying to accomplish?

24:45.171 --> 25:10.357
[SPEAKER_01]: According to what the state officials have stated, the major goals are as follows, increasing equity among districts, providing more predictable funding, helping districts higher and retain qualified staff, improving educational outcomes, expanding, expanding, excuse me, access to services, and then supporting students in the least restrictive environment whenever appropriate.

25:15.550 --> 25:18.691
[SPEAKER_01]: See, twice as many questions that come about.

25:18.711 --> 25:23.632
[SPEAKER_01]: The first thing I thought of what I saw supporting students in the least restrictive environment whenever appropriate.

25:24.472 --> 25:26.033
[SPEAKER_01]: Who determines when that's appropriate?

25:27.293 --> 25:29.073
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you determine when that's appropriate?

25:29.533 --> 25:37.035
[SPEAKER_01]: A least restrictive environment, I'm sure each case is going to be different as well, but there's got to be a couple things that everybody should be entitled to.

25:37.495 --> 25:40.836
[SPEAKER_01]: So it will be interesting to see what the answer is to that.

25:44.638 --> 25:47.679
[SPEAKER_01]: which would be where could the money actually be spent?

25:48.479 --> 25:50.960
[SPEAKER_01]: So, there's a variety of potential areas.

25:51.060 --> 26:01.504
[SPEAKER_01]: One would be teachers because if you're looking at more credential special education teachers, you want to reduce vacancies, reduce burnout, and then improve retention.

26:02.124 --> 26:09.686
[SPEAKER_01]: Because people that choose this path to work in special education, usually very, very selfless individuals.

26:09.706 --> 26:11.367
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not something that anybody does to

26:12.498 --> 26:37.107
[SPEAKER_01]: To get rich you give up a bit of yourself getting training and credentials to be even to be able to do that And these we know teachers are very underpaid and under undervalued and that's Teacher you know, I'm referred to teachers then that Are teaching nor typical children or the general population when it comes to special education it takes even more to be there for a children so

26:39.284 --> 27:04.846
[SPEAKER_01]: Apparel educators, such as instructional aids, one-on-ones, behavioral assistance, and classroom support, that's another area that we're hoping that the funds would be geared towards, and then the related services, such as speech, the various forms of therapy, speech, occupational, physical therapy, behavioral intervention, psychological services, counseling, and then adaptive physical education.

27:09.033 --> 27:24.825
[SPEAKER_01]: how many schools have a line and our difference between the physical education that is have for general ed versus those in special education.

27:25.245 --> 27:34.592
[SPEAKER_01]: I know in areas where the availability or funding is a challenge, you may simply have all kids in one class depending on the level of

27:38.750 --> 27:43.854
[SPEAKER_01]: would be affected or an area of focus would be assessments.

27:44.314 --> 27:52.940
[SPEAKER_01]: So reducing weighting periods because in some schools, depending on the number of students, you have a long weighting period in order for an assessment to take place.

27:54.581 --> 27:56.762
[SPEAKER_01]: Imagine when you send someone to send your child to school

27:58.488 --> 28:02.509
[SPEAKER_01]: It has not yet been established that there is a disability and there is no diagnosis.

28:02.909 --> 28:14.753
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a little bit of a challenge on your hands to get an assessment done and get to the point of our diagnosis because the diagnosis will then dictate what benefits you're entitled to.

28:15.653 --> 28:21.915
[SPEAKER_01]: So looking at also providing faster evaluations earlier identification and then earlier intervention.

28:26.746 --> 28:31.129
[SPEAKER_01]: the hope is, you know, where those funds are going to go will be focused on.

28:31.509 --> 28:36.273
[SPEAKER_01]: So then transition services, programs that prepare students for employment.

28:37.113 --> 28:46.420
[SPEAKER_01]: That's huge, because when your child graduate at high school, you know, our son is in a program, you know, adult program.

28:46.460 --> 28:51.804
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, since he graduated high school two years ago, man, goes by so fast.

28:54.760 --> 29:03.744
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been an adjustment, and you know, we feel as though he's getting the services, you know, that he needs.

29:03.784 --> 29:15.710
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, like I said, our experience has been good, but that's the part of caregiving that you don't necessarily, always talk about working Lee for God.

29:16.431 --> 29:22.954
[SPEAKER_01]: There's the little bit of respite one might get from the actual physical caregiving where your child is in school,

29:24.023 --> 29:35.251
[SPEAKER_01]: or away from home for a portion of the day, but the other part of that is staying on top of the communication with the school to make sure that they're getting what they need.

29:35.851 --> 29:50.561
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes the recipe is so important or such a relief when your child goes to school that you, you know, you can forget about the other things that you need to follow up on just because you're able to

29:53.032 --> 30:13.101
[SPEAKER_01]: they are collecting IHSS, maybe social security and work minimally because the level of dependence is so high because of the disability and in a case where one is a single parent that compounds considerably and then your own well being gets put at risk.

30:14.542 --> 30:18.284
[SPEAKER_01]: So with regard to what takes place after high school,

30:19.505 --> 30:37.913
[SPEAKER_01]: what you would hope to prepare your child for with the proper funding and allocation of the funds is independent living college for those who might go vocational training, community integration, and then transition programs for those who are 18 to 22.

30:37.953 --> 30:40.274
[SPEAKER_01]: That defines the program that our son is in.

30:40.854 --> 30:44.675
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's funny because I'm looking at college and vocational training in community integration.

30:49.128 --> 31:13.693
[SPEAKER_01]: the feeling that that he's not I shouldn't say that he's not going to, but that he may not do those things versus we never really know you just you don't know anything is possible and we try to lean a little bit more towards anything is possible, but it's

31:14.690 --> 31:33.554
[SPEAKER_01]: It's difficult to find out exactly what his level of independence is going to be on his own, but we're making progress on a daily basis and it's encouraging to know that these funds are there and that an opportunity is there, at least in thought and in spirit, like I said, time will tell in terms of what really takes place.

31:33.834 --> 31:36.575
[SPEAKER_01]: So the other areas of focus are professional development.

31:42.197 --> 31:47.140
[SPEAKER_01]: set of rules that you would hear to in accredited situations.

31:47.761 --> 31:51.483
[SPEAKER_01]: But the industry continues to grow in change.

31:51.543 --> 32:07.395
[SPEAKER_01]: So there may be certain ways of thinking with regard to the manner of which one teaches or a therapy of some kind over time that changes and being able to have funds that go towards teacher training

32:08.440 --> 32:12.923
[SPEAKER_01]: will allow people to keep up with those changes as they take place within the industry.

32:13.303 --> 32:18.786
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're looking at autism supports behavior management, assistive technology, and then inclusive education.

32:19.146 --> 32:28.292
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that portion is huge too, because if you have a school that or environment where there are both neurotypical and neurodiverse children.

32:29.379 --> 32:36.842
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't always assume that there are lessons being given at home to the neuro-typical that would foster inclusion.

32:38.062 --> 32:40.783
[SPEAKER_01]: We like to hope so, but, you know, you don't really know.

32:40.843 --> 32:45.325
[SPEAKER_01]: So, having funds put aside to include that as a measure helps as well.

32:45.785 --> 32:52.868
[SPEAKER_01]: And then the Assistive Technology, Communication Devices, Learning Technology, Adaptive Software, and then Classroom Accommodations.

32:53.619 --> 33:00.944
[SPEAKER_01]: Then when it comes to mental health support, they're talking about counseling, behavioral specialists and school psychologists, as well as family supports.

33:01.384 --> 33:11.810
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the family supports is something that's very huge because you need to be able to encourage people that there's a village of support for them.

33:11.910 --> 33:17.694
[SPEAKER_01]: Especially let's say there's either a language barrier or a single parent, anything that makes

33:18.832 --> 33:22.455
[SPEAKER_01]: it more of a challenge to get to the things that everyone needs.

33:22.955 --> 33:33.724
[SPEAKER_01]: And then looking at transportation, accessibility you would expect, but one of the things here that surprises me pleasantly is route improvement.

33:34.124 --> 33:38.507
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would imagine that would meet either a safer route or shorter route.

33:38.847 --> 33:41.470
[SPEAKER_01]: Those are things that are great to think about as well.

33:41.910 --> 33:43.231
[SPEAKER_01]: And then in terms of exclusion,

33:44.223 --> 33:54.308
[SPEAKER_01]: inclusion, excuse me, the ideas to expand opportunities for students with disabilities to practice in general education settings when appropriate.

33:55.028 --> 34:04.352
[SPEAKER_01]: And I guess I would imagine the level of appropriateness or knowing what is appropriate is determined by the

34:10.781 --> 34:18.446
[SPEAKER_01]: are also if you were given part of the funding where would you spend it first and that's what I'm hoping to hear from some of you.

34:18.486 --> 34:19.526
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just curious.

34:20.047 --> 34:25.190
[SPEAKER_01]: So another question is then does this mean every child will receive better services?

34:26.484 --> 34:28.126
[SPEAKER_01]: you would hope so, but not necessarily.

34:28.186 --> 34:30.108
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's one of the biggest misconceptions about it.

34:30.448 --> 34:32.290
[SPEAKER_01]: The legislation provides resources.

34:32.830 --> 34:36.354
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't guarantee identical outcomes across every district.

34:36.814 --> 34:49.266
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was back to my question again, which is that if within each district you have these agencies that determine how it's going to be spent, they're not all on the same page.

34:49.326 --> 34:50.087
[SPEAKER_01]: It's done differently.

34:51.797 --> 35:03.882
[SPEAKER_01]: No matter how much money is put aside for funding, we need to make sure that we are our children's advocate and be prepared to fight for them even if that means getting legal representation to do so.

35:04.222 --> 35:13.185
[SPEAKER_01]: So some districts already have strong programs and others face severe staffing shortages and some may improve quickly.

35:13.823 --> 35:43.111
[SPEAKER_01]: There are others that are going to take years, and so with that being or reality that goes back to what I was saying before, and that will find out what this really looks like over time, with regard to my professional insight, as someone that works in financial services and a caregiver, and unite to the two, helping families find solutions and building a bridge between prosperity and their hopes and dreams.

35:44.057 --> 35:46.898
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, money creates opportunities, great.

35:47.298 --> 35:49.338
[SPEAKER_01]: But then leadership determines the results.

35:49.958 --> 35:53.059
[SPEAKER_01]: And this isn't meant to be a political discussion.

35:53.199 --> 35:56.260
[SPEAKER_01]: But this is where the challenge comes in.

35:56.300 --> 36:06.742
[SPEAKER_01]: Because there's a certain amount of things that are going to be achievable or achieved as a result of Governor Newsom's actions or lack thereof.

36:13.114 --> 36:15.076
[SPEAKER_01]: and their actions are lack thereof.

36:15.496 --> 36:23.102
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, as part of the reasons why, you know, only time will really tell us what this will ultimately really look like.

36:23.982 --> 36:28.225
[SPEAKER_01]: So, question number five, how will families know if the investment is working?

36:29.386 --> 36:30.947
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody's situation is going to be different.

36:30.967 --> 36:32.248
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, time will really tell.

36:32.649 --> 36:35.451
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the most important question in the entire episode.

36:35.491 --> 36:39.854
[SPEAKER_01]: So, some of the possible indicators would be shorter assessment timelines.

36:41.347 --> 36:52.310
[SPEAKER_01]: fewer teacher vacancies and then more therapy sessions, regardless of what kind of therapy you're getting.

36:52.730 --> 37:08.934
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're gonna be taking a look at when these things are supposed to be implemented and what I'd like to do is I'd love to hear from any of our audience that is in California here that can talk about what differences they may have seen over time.

37:11.935 --> 37:22.640
[SPEAKER_01]: later on with another episode to try and address that and, you know, reach out on social media and try and find out from you what kind of changes you might see.

37:22.960 --> 37:33.605
[SPEAKER_01]: So the other thing that we're hoping will take place is reduce case loads, improving graduation rates, and then better transition outcomes, higher parent satisfaction,

37:34.510 --> 37:40.391
[SPEAKER_01]: And fewer due process complaints, that's very self-serving, but as it relates to a district, but I understand.

37:41.252 --> 37:45.273
[SPEAKER_01]: Improving reading, improving attendance, greater inclusion.

37:45.753 --> 37:49.674
[SPEAKER_01]: And students leave in school simply better prepare for adult life.

37:49.794 --> 37:52.695
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, going back to time doing its thing.

37:53.315 --> 37:56.375
[SPEAKER_01]: So the question becomes, if California spends another 2.4 billion,

38:03.576 --> 38:03.716
[SPEAKER_01]: Hmm.

38:04.357 --> 38:06.579
[SPEAKER_01]: So could it be a game changer?

38:07.460 --> 38:12.967
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, potentially the investment as the potential to improve special education and a bunch of meaningful ways.

38:13.467 --> 38:18.333
[SPEAKER_01]: However, the funding alone has never guaranteed success.

38:19.154 --> 38:23.319
[SPEAKER_01]: So as I mentioned before, the kind of real change is going to depend on.

38:26.093 --> 38:40.818
[SPEAKER_01]: Unfortunately, it's going to depend on who's in office, who's going to uphold it, so that means the implementation, the leadership, the accountability, the workforce availability, partnership with families and the continues improvement is a lot of moving parts to make this a success long term.

38:41.718 --> 38:47.279
[SPEAKER_01]: So history teaches us something important, which is that many excellent ideas have failed because they're poorly implemented.

38:56.231 --> 38:57.052
[SPEAKER_01]: exceptionally well.

38:57.112 --> 39:01.436
[SPEAKER_01]: So the question isn't whether or not enough is being spent.

39:02.296 --> 39:03.878
[SPEAKER_01]: The question is will it be spent wisely.

39:04.538 --> 39:08.001
[SPEAKER_01]: And what are the challenges that still exist?

39:08.882 --> 39:13.866
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, even with historic funding, California continues to face significant challenges.

39:15.127 --> 39:20.292
[SPEAKER_01]: We do, and among them are the things that we're hoping that this bill would address, which is

39:21.244 --> 39:27.088
[SPEAKER_01]: Teaser shortages, high turnover, all a product of burnout, rising student needs.

39:28.569 --> 39:38.897
[SPEAKER_01]: If you think about the world that we live in and the way it continues to change any volume in the chaos that's taking place, it's got to be a heck of a challenge to be a teacher in this day and age.

39:39.077 --> 39:43.020
[SPEAKER_01]: Just as it would to be a parent of a child that is saying

39:49.937 --> 40:08.028
[SPEAKER_01]: So regional disparities, recruiting of qualified therapists, balancing inclusion with individualized supports, and then maintaining consistency across hundreds of districts, or just some of the problems that the state of California faces with regard to special education.

40:09.129 --> 40:16.133
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you look at the questions that every parent should ask at their next IEP, this should be helpful.

40:16.734 --> 40:18.655
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a couple of questions you should ask.

40:20.006 --> 40:23.848
[SPEAKER_01]: has the district receive additional resources as a result of the new funding.

40:24.308 --> 40:42.679
[SPEAKER_01]: So rather than just wait to see what change looks like, those of us who are parents and still VIPs can sort of almost track the change or maybe even affect it if enough of us are asking the following questions.

40:44.455 --> 40:46.176
[SPEAKER_01]: have staff levels change.

40:46.597 --> 40:48.478
[SPEAKER_01]: Are there plans to reduce caseloads?

40:49.038 --> 40:50.800
[SPEAKER_01]: Will my child services change?

40:51.300 --> 40:53.421
[SPEAKER_01]: Will the valuations happen more quickly?

40:54.262 --> 40:55.943
[SPEAKER_01]: Are additional therapies being added?

40:56.424 --> 40:59.546
[SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of these questions are about what is going to take place?

41:00.066 --> 41:05.050
[SPEAKER_01]: After a period of time, so over the next year or so, the questions can always be have

41:05.926 --> 41:06.866
[SPEAKER_01]: these things change.

41:07.466 --> 41:09.527
[SPEAKER_01]: As opposed to are there plans to reduce the caseloads?

41:09.587 --> 41:10.927
[SPEAKER_01]: Have the caseloads been reduced?

41:11.408 --> 41:13.168
[SPEAKER_01]: How is the district measure in the success?

41:13.608 --> 41:27.752
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm asking these questions as a parent, but you district representative or teacher or counselor or whoever I'm in the IEP with, you tell me, have you seen any measurable change since this bill was put into place?

41:28.500 --> 41:33.503
[SPEAKER_01]: and how can families participate in shaping how those services are improved?

41:33.984 --> 41:35.685
[SPEAKER_01]: Those are the people that ask those questions up.

41:36.305 --> 41:41.449
[SPEAKER_01]: So school board members should be asking how much is the district receiving?

41:42.169 --> 41:43.730
[SPEAKER_01]: How will the dollars be allocated?

41:44.171 --> 41:45.792
[SPEAKER_01]: How will we measure the outcomes?

41:46.292 --> 41:48.794
[SPEAKER_01]: What does success look like from year to year?

41:49.074 --> 41:50.535
[SPEAKER_01]: What does it look like three years from now?

41:50.575 --> 41:52.156
[SPEAKER_01]: What does it look like five years from now?

41:55.977 --> 41:58.638
[SPEAKER_01]: The expectations are high and they should be with that much money.

41:59.039 --> 42:03.241
[SPEAKER_01]: But the real measure of success will never be the size of the appropriation.

42:03.961 --> 42:09.884
[SPEAKER_00]: The measure of success will be the lives of the children.

42:12.125 --> 42:15.607
[SPEAKER_00]: Parents don't experience budgets, right?

42:16.627 --> 42:17.688
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't experience budgets.

42:17.768 --> 42:20.509
[SPEAKER_00]: We experience the effect of the budget.

42:27.020 --> 42:31.282
[SPEAKER_01]: teachers, IEPs, therapists, classrooms, communication, support, hope.

42:32.723 --> 42:36.044
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where the investment will ultimately succeed or fail.

42:36.084 --> 42:43.968
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's like at the end of the day, the end of any given day, the end of a month, the end of a school year.

42:44.568 --> 42:48.670
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you feel about your child's experience in school?

42:50.210 --> 42:52.091
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you feel about the level of support that you have?

42:55.057 --> 42:59.761
[SPEAKER_01]: our worth paying attention to to determine what kind of changes are being made here.

43:00.641 --> 43:04.104
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we looked at where the money is intended to go.

43:04.124 --> 43:08.527
[SPEAKER_01]: Now let's examine the bigger conversation.

43:09.448 --> 43:14.192
[SPEAKER_01]: Support us believe the investment could transform special education across California, granted.

43:14.772 --> 43:21.197
[SPEAKER_01]: There's others that are cautiously optimistic and want to see measure results before declaring any kind of victory or success.

43:22.135 --> 43:34.621
[SPEAKER_01]: But on the next session, and we're going to do real quick is examine both perspectives, explore the legitimate concerns, and then discuss what a kind of ability should look like over time.

43:39.244 --> 43:44.426
[SPEAKER_01]: And so whether the parent agrees on the amount, if you would argue that students or the disabilities

43:47.757 --> 43:50.980
[SPEAKER_01]: going to require a do require significant resources.

43:51.480 --> 43:53.302
[SPEAKER_01]: The investment sends an important message.

43:53.782 --> 44:05.592
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, the first benefit is, again, like a cigarette or equity, the opportunity to address staffing shortages is another one altogether.

44:06.132 --> 44:11.757
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, better early intervention and better transition for services.

44:15.587 --> 44:21.268
[SPEAKER_01]: supposed to take those things that we hope will pay to it, and they should on paper.

44:22.068 --> 44:35.671
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, the final reflection just before we close is, you know, I'd like to leave you with a final question, which is, let's say imagine we're sitting together five years from today.

44:37.951 --> 44:42.332
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is how the success of this program is ultimately going to be

44:44.606 --> 44:49.087
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody has a different peer view, so to speak, right?

44:52.749 --> 44:58.690
[SPEAKER_00]: What would success and look like for you as a parent, in order for this program to be effective?

45:00.311 --> 45:04.392
[SPEAKER_01]: Would it be another press conference, you know, another budget announcement?

45:05.993 --> 45:07.133
[SPEAKER_01]: It's probably not going to be that.

45:07.693 --> 45:11.915
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be everything that I just asked with regard to what you feel at the end of the given day.

45:14.188 --> 45:17.389
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's probably going to be, you know, that your child received the support that they needed.

45:18.009 --> 45:23.651
[SPEAKER_01]: A teacher saying that they found the other resources that they need, differences that are tangible, that you can see.

45:24.211 --> 45:31.974
[SPEAKER_01]: And sometimes they're so busy carrying over that you don't see those things, which is why I said it's a good idea to ask those things in the IEP, or any communication that you may have in this school.

45:32.594 --> 45:40.336
[SPEAKER_01]: So, in preparing for the episode, I found myself thinking about the size of the investment and the lives behind the numbers.

45:43.807 --> 45:58.694
[SPEAKER_01]: every budget, line represents a family, every policy decision, shape someone's life, and the investment creates our opportunities for all those things to take place.

46:00.415 --> 46:01.276
[SPEAKER_01]: Then it's successful.

46:01.616 --> 46:07.139
[SPEAKER_01]: So we get to decide that collectively in our own situation is to what seems successful to us.

46:09.780 --> 46:10.180
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm hoping

46:12.721 --> 46:18.326
[SPEAKER_01]: But I just wanted to take some time to jump into that and share what I was able to find out.

46:18.747 --> 46:24.472
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be an ongoing conversation because it's one that will continue to evolve obviously.

46:24.973 --> 46:28.636
[SPEAKER_01]: And to everyone within the Son of a Voice, I want to thank you for taking the time to tune in.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again, I want to thank our community partners, Billy Footwear, SoulGrain, and Meet Beat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again, if you check on the link in the show notes, you can get

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[SPEAKER_01]: 10% off your final purchase with each one of these fantastic businesses and again I want to encourage you to if you or someone you know is a male caregiver invite you to join us for a while We could notice that then the link will be in the show notes as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It is free of charge And just remember that Everybody has the same needs well need to be seen need to be heard need to be loved.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We need to know that we matter and

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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for supporting us and as we continue to grow and evolve if you're listening, watching wherever you might be, whatever platform you're hearing this on.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We thank you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I want to thank the women in my life without who I would be nothing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: As my wife, Laura and my mom, Jan.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for supporting the show and we'll see you next time on Beyond the Spectrum.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're watching this, wherever you are, we love you.