Province Invests in Special Education Improvements

Nova Scotia students with special needs will receive more support as a result of a $17 million investment in special education over the next three years. The targeted investment will result in more than 135 additional professionals and specialist educators working with students with special needs, pilot projects to develop better teaching techniques, and more than a million dollars in technology.

Education Minister Jane Purves made the announcement at Westmount School in Halifax today, Sept. 17. It is the second part of her Learning for Life plan, designed to improve the quality of education in Nova Scotia.

"Perhaps one of the biggest challenges we face in our public education system today is effectively responding to the needs of students who have special challenges of their own," said Ms. Purves. "This new money will help us build on recent efforts to provide more support to our students with special needs and the professionals who work with them and their families."

Students with special needs are the one in five students who require extra help in school. Their needs are varied. Some students have trouble reading, while some have more complex physical, cognitive and behavioural challenges.

Bud Malay has an 11-year-old daughter with special needs at Westmount School.

"Any new money for special education students and programs is definitely very exciting news," he said. "Targeted funding means that the money will benefit those students who need it the most."

The improvements to special education funding are part of the Learning for Life plan, designed to improve the quality of education in Nova Scotia.

The investments will be made in four key areas:

• $6 million to hire new 60 new resource teachers, speech pathologists, psychologists and other special education professionals;

• $4.3 million to add 35 Reading Recovery specialists, who will help Grade 1 students improve critical reading and writing skills;

• $1.1 million to buy assistive technologies such as special computer keyboards, touch-screen computers and speech recognition software; and

• $6 million to test projects and new approaches to responding to students with special needs. This will add at least 40 more professionals.

School boards will test projects and ways to expand choice. For example, parents, teachers and principals at pilot schools can develop classroom options that offer more one-on-one personalized support.

"I know that even with the investment we are making today, we still have a way to go before every child, in every classroom, in every school, receives the kind of professional support they need to personally grow or academically succeed," said Ms. Purves. "But it is a good start."

Effective individual program plans also require scheduling adequate time from teachers, parents and other professionals in the school. This issue is also being reviewed by the department.

Based on the 2001-02 enrollment of 153,615 students, Nova Scotia has about 30,000 students with special needs. Many receive more than one type of support.

Last week, Ms. Purves announced an $18-million increase to the education budget over the next three years to reduce class sizes in primary to Grade 2 to 25 students.