Alna, ME: Rate of IEPs is over 20%; "One of the largest expenses for a school system"

June 8, 2018, Maine Wire: School choice under attack in town of Alna http://www.themainewire.com/2018/06/school-choice-attack-town-alna/ One area of impact that the committee, the town selectmen, and the RSU have avoided talking about altogether is the impact of the amendment on the RSU costs for special education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, roughly 13 percent of public school students receive special education services requiring individualized education programs (IEP) in the US. For RSU 12, according to Superintendent Tuttle, their rate of IEPs is over 20 percent and growing. One of the largest expenses for a school system is the cost of providing for children with special needs. Alna has cleverly solved for this issue by giving parents the ability to choose a tailor made education for their children, costing the district less money and avoiding the lengthy IEP process.