SCHOOL SPEECH PROGRAM MAY BE CUT

Dept. of Education will no longer fund the service, and $$ concerns may force principals to drop it
Monday, June 28, 2004
By DIANE O'DONNELL
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

A grass-roots effort by speech teachers to stop the budget ax from being lowered on a language program is under way at Staten Island public schools.

Over the last week, teachers at borough schools informed parents that the Speech and Language Improvement Program (SLIP) will not be available in the fall unless they advocate for it with school officials and elected leaders.

For the last few years, SLIP has been helping hundreds of struggling students learn phonics and improve their language skills.

The Island's District 31 had previously funded the program, but now, the city Department of Education could make principals tap their own school budgets to provide the service, say teachers.

Fifteen speech teachers also face removal from borough classrooms to fill positions elsewhere in the city school system.

According to Margie Feinberg, school system spokeswoman, a final decision has not been made as to whether funding would be handled at the school or regional level.

If it falls to the school level, principals would have to decide whether to fund the program or cut it from their schools.

"They just sprung this on us," said Debbie Marino, whose second-grade daughter, Desiree, may no longer get the extra help she needs next year at PS 3 in Pleasant Plains.

"I can't even believe they're doing this with all the third-grade problems," said the Prince's Bay mom. "They're having them required to pass these tests, but they're taking away everything that these kids need."

SLIP gave children with speech and language deficits a chance to get special services without having to complete the medical, psychological and educational evaluations required for an individualized education program (IEP).

Three years ago, Mrs. Marino was advised to have her daughter, then in pre-k, declassified out of special education with the assurance that the SLIP program would meet all of Desiree's needs.

Her decision to do so has left the 7-year-old girl without the legal protection of an IEP document. All special education students have IEPs that mandate what type of services, such as speech, occupational or physical therapy, the Department of Education must provide.

"I didn't realize without the IEP I didn't have a federal backup," she said. "If I don't get her classified she has nothing."

In order to continue receiving speech and language services, parents will have to have their children evaluated, either through the school system or independently, and have an IEP drawn up specifying the students needs and goals.

Messages left by the Advance for Region 7, which includes all schools on Staten Island as well as those in southwest Brooklyn, were not returned.

"The parents liked (SLIP) because the children didn't have to go through special testing and weren't given a (learning disabled) label," said Debby Poleshuck, who represents speech teachers on the Island for the United Federation of Teachers. "The school speech pathologists liked it because it was less paperwork."

With school districts apparently no longer providing funding for the program and principals forced to pay for the services out of their school budget, something has to give, she said.

"Most of these students have at least moderate problems that have a negative effect on their learning," said Ms. Poleschuck. "These are kids who really need these services to perform academically."

Diane O'Donnell is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at odonnell@siadvance.com.

Copyright 2004 SILive.com. All Rights Reserved.


An endangered program
Staten Island ADvance, Tuesday, June 29, 2004

When the school bell rings in September one important program may no longer exist.

Without question the Speech and Language Improvement, commonly known as SLIP, has helped hundreds of struggling Staten Island students improve their language and learning skills. So, it is puzzling as to why the city's Department of Education has decided that the funding of SLIP will now be the sole responsibility of each Staten Island school principal, which means they will be forced to make Solomon-like decisions about their already tight budgets.

To the credit of the borough's teachers, they have sprung into action and are reaching out to parents to join a grass-roots effort to save SLIP.

The program offers children with speech and language deficits special services without having to complete the medical, psychological and education evaluations required for an individualized education program. Students participating in SLIP are not labeled learning disabled.

However, not only students who depend on SLIP will be negatively impacted if principals don't fund the program. As many as 15 speech teachers will lose their positions in Staten Island schools and face reassignment elsewhere in the city.

"I can't believe that they are doing this with all the third-grade problems," said one parent.

Frankly, we can't either.