Administrator of Student Services Rochelle Rands

 

Manitoba Education is currently working with the Portage School Division conducting a Special Needs report and review. Administrator of Student Services for the division Rochelle Rands says this is in response to an external review that was held in 2006 and involves a three year cycle or process where Manitoba Education visits all the schools in the province. Rands notes the purpose is to verify attendance and continued eligibility of students who receive special needs level 2 and 3 funding. She adds they look at individual education plans for each student and meet with school teams and division teams to talk about policy programming and support for students. Rands says they're visiting 23 students in 7 our division.

She explains Manitoba Ed has moved to a multi and maximum year funding rather than having school division apply for support every year. Students are given multi or maximum year funding so this is a bit about accountability as well to make sure proper planning is in place.

So far Rands feels the meetings have gone well. She notes it's a great opportunity to sit down with Manitoba Ed to brain storm ideas and share our programs, which may not be going on in other divisions. Rands says it's also an opportunity for our teams to review programming and planning in our division, ask questions, and get support in areas we are looking at.

Rands notes the criteria for funding would be that they are registered in a school in the province, they are receiving a full day of programming in a school or appropriate alternate setting, and they are attending for an appropriate amount of days in the year. There's also a set of criteria that school teams follow to meet the criteria as well.

Rands says one of the goals while meeting with Manitoba Ed is to talk about students specific plans and it's also an opportunity to share successes, needs, and next steps.