Elmhurst Mayor Pushing Special Education Bills

March 17, 2010

Two bills introduced by Elmhurst Mayor Pete DiCianni are gaining some momentum among state legislators. The bills are meant to increase state funding and training requirements for teacher assistants in special education

Senate Bill 3106, which would remove special education funding from the restrictions of the Tax Cap, passed 6-2 out of the state Senate Revenue Committee earlier this month.

The Tax Cap limits annual property tax increases to 5 percent or the previous year’s Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower, plus an amount for new growth.

DiCianni said although the Tax Cap does prevent government bodies from overspending, it has a major impact on special education, particularly in cases of autism, where the population continues grow and the level of funding does not.

"You have no funding coming in but you have more kids and more needs coming in," he said.

State mandates placed on school districts also continue to increase without any state funding. In tu rn, officials have had to take money away from the rest of the student population to afford the new changes, DiCianni said.

Assistant Majority Leader James DeLeo is chief sponsor of the bill. To garner bipartisan support, DiCianni explained a "front door" referendum would be attached to the bill, taking away the decision to increase taxes from elected officials and placing it into the hands of voters. This means that should it pass, it would allow school districts to go to voters and ask if they would support levying for special education funding based on population growth.

"It would give voters total control over this," he said.

DiCianni is also looking to gain support for Senate Bill 3111, which would require all special education teacher assistants to become certified through an online course. This would help assistants become more aware of the individual needs of a student. DeLeo also is chief sponsor of the bill.

"These aids are sometimes with the kids more than parents are," DiCianni said.

An employee would pay for the online program after they are hired by a school district at a cost of $45 to $50 for the one-day course. DiCianni has already located two national groups that could provide the certifications.

He is hopeful that should the funding bill pass, requiring a new state mandate for training would be an easier process to roll out.

"I didn’t want to do a mandate unless we had funding," he said.

This isn’t the first time DiCianni has helped pass new legislation. In 2008 he worked to pass a bill requiring insurance providers to cover treatment for c hildren with autism. The legislation, which he called Brianna’s Law after his 5-year-old daughter, passed with widespread bipartisan support.

DiCianni said his desire to craft the two new pieces of legislation is in direct response to what he is hearing from school officials and parents. Parents want to see the needs of their child better addressed, and officials continue to struggle with supporting new mandates without any new funding.

"You can’t do one without the other. You need money to make this happen," he said.