The DeKalb School Board District 428 heard a comprehensive plan overview about the dissolution of The DeKalb County Special Education Association Tuesday night.

DCSEA was a joint agreement of eight districts in the county to assist those students with special needs, said Kari Cremascoli, assistant superintendent of Student Support Services, and was dissolved within the last year.

In February 2008, Hinckley-Big Rock School District made a motion to the Governing Board of DCSEA to dissolve the association, Creamascoli said. While the motion did eventually pass, Cremascoli said it was important to point out that District 428 voted no on the motion.

“We really did feel like it was an important organization,” Cremascoli said. “It continued to provide a lot of value to all of the districts.”

The school board ratified the decision by the governing board in May 2008, Cremascoli said.
Each district is now responsible for special needs programs, Cremascoli said.

She said some of the benefits of the dissolution include increased control over the programming.
“Rather than having that agency that’s not really related directly to our district and our schools, now we are able to have staff in our district to provide that direct assistance,” Cremascoli said.

Some of the challenges Cremascoli said the schools might face are increased responsibilities for the administration.

“We’ve been planning and addressing that challenge for four or five years,” Cremascoli said.
Superintendent Jim Briscoe commended Cremascoli and her staff for her work on the comprehensive plan.

“We can’t really take this lightly,” Briscoe said. “This is a major league process she’s been handling ... It’s very thorough, and I feel good about what’s going to happen in the next stage.”
The board also appointed Nicholas and Associates as the construction company for the new DeKalb High School. Nicholas and Associates is also currently constructing the new Cortland Elementary School.

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