Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative

Quality Education Through Cooperation and Partnership

• Services to address goals of the priorities and indicators in the Minnesota Special Education Performance Plan.

• Implementation of federal and state special education mandates.

• Technical assistance to educators, families and community agencies.

• IEP development, assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning support to district staff.

• Comprehensive interagency planning services for children and youth ages 0-21.

• Staff development for special and general education staff, administrators and county personnel as it pertains to special education.

• Systems that provide students with successful transition experiences from 0 to preschool, from preschool to elementary school, from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school and high school to adult living.

• Work experiences coordination for eligible high school students with disabilities.

• Educational occupational and physical therapy services.

• Low incidence disability services: vision, deaf/hard of hearing, autism, physical impaired.

• Birth through 2 child find.

• Data collection and reporting support.

• Special education finance and budget.

Data Collection

• Monitor student IEP and evaluation data for accuracy.

• Provide districts with information on caseloads, disabilities, amount of service provided and student enrollment projections.

• Complete and submit required state reports. Compile child count composite by district.

• Verify MARSS data and follow-up on discrepancies.

• Collect data, as directed by the Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative Agreement and Board members.

Communication Services

• Director meets formally with the following groups to update, disseminate and receive information related to special education:

➢ Cooperative Board - four times per year

➢ Interagency Council – five times per year

➢ Work Based Learning staff – four times per year

➢ Cooperative Social Workers – twice per year

➢ Cooperative Principals - at least twice per year

➢ Cooperative District Psychologists – five times per year

➢ Cooperative District Coordinators – once per month

➢ Cooperative District Counselors – twice per year

➢ Cooperative District Nurses – three times per year.

➢ Cooperative District wide Business Managers – two times per year.

➢ NLSEC itinerant staff - four times per year.

➢ NLSEC Parent Advisory Committee – five times per year.

• Publish Interagency Special Connections newsletter and Annual Report

• Maintain Cooperative web page.

• Process student service agreements for all non-resident students attending

Cooperative districts.

• Coordinate with district MARSS coordinators to assure special education reporting accuracy.

Finance and Tuition Billing

• Track and report federal and state expenditures for each district and enter into SEDRA and SERVS.

• Provide state and federal NLSEC budget information to districts three times each year.

• Process contracts for service and monitor expenses and licenses of providers.

• Maintain a record of teacher license expiration dates. Notify district administration and teachers as needed.

• Complete and file yearly state Special Education Application for state and federal aid.

• Review all state reports for accuracy and follow up with discrepancies.
  

Legal Issues

• Coordinate and facilitate the MDE Special Education Compliance and Assistance monitoring process.

• Conduct yearly compliance reviews in each district.

• Assist Cooperative districts with dispute resolution.

• Attend meetings to resolve legal conflicts.

• Investigate and process all formal complaints involving NLSEC districts and The Minnesota Department of Education Division of Compliance and Assistance.

• Maintain current knowledge of special education law and report updates/changes to district personnel and NLSEC Parent Advisory Committee.

• Maintain/monitor the NLSEC Total Special Education Systems (TSES) Policies and Procedures Manual.

• Interpret special education rules and regulations for district staff and parents.

Medical Assistance Billing

• Assist Cooperative districts to maximize reimbursement of MA funds for health related IEP services.

• Process and monitor all district medical assistance claims.

• Provide superintendents and business managers with quarterly medical assistance revenue statements.

• Monitor consent forms and obtain private insurance denials, process third party.

• Train special education staff on the medical assistance billing process.

Interagency Planning and Implementation

• Coordinate interagency planning and implementation efforts with the twelve districts and five counties within the Special Education Cooperative.

• Participate with Interagency Council members to train disability stakeholders on the interagency planning process.

Other Services

• Assist Cooperative districts with the hiring of special education staff.

• Prepare and present reports to school boards as requested by Cooperative superintendents.

• Type and process vacancy notices and advertise for vacant positions.

• Assist districts with application to PELSB for unlicensed special education teachers.

• Assist districts to comply with statute provisions as related to special education.

• Prepare special education workload studies and staff recommendations upon

request from districts.