A Parent at the Cash-Strapped Thames Valley School Board Says He’s Been Told to Hire a Pricey Private Psychologist for His Child’s Assessment Rather Than Access The Board’s in-House Service.
A Parent at the Cash-Strapped Thames Valley School Board Says He’s Been Told to Hire a Pricey Private Psychologist for His Child’s Assessment Rather Than Access The Board’s in-House Service.
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The London-Based School Board Cut A Number of Jobs, Including Two Psychologist Positions, Amid Spending Cuts Last Year As It Sought to Tame A Budget Deficit That Now Sits at $ 16.8 million. The Board now has the right equivalent of 27 psychologists on staff for its 84,000 Students.
The Cucs have Started Affecting Kids, One Parent Says.
Tom Bender of London Says Teachers Started Noticing in Kindergarten That His Daughter, Now Eight Years Old, was “A Little Behind Compared to Her Peers.” She has a late birthday and there were covid-19 learning gaps-that was considering the initial likely cause, he said.
But the gap widened, he said. “Last Year, Her grade 2 Teacher Found Her Reading Level was behind her peers significantly.”
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She Got Extra Support in The Classroom. Now in grade 3, an assessment has still not taken place and bender say the board “recommended to us that we get her tested private by a psychologist for a learning disability.”
He Added: “It’s been stonewall After Stonewall.”
Board Officials Deny Families Are Being Asked to get Private Assessments, with a Spokesperson Saying That in the 2022-23 School Year, for Example, 755 Psychological Assessments and 882 Speech-Language Assessments Were Done by Board Psychologists.
The Wait Times for Assessments at the Thames Valley District School Board Are:
- For a Psychological Assessment: 135 Days
- For a speech-langage assessment: 2.4 MONTHS
Sandra Miller is President of the Professional Student Personal Services District 11, which represents The School Board’s Psychologists. She Says There’s a Staffing Shortfall.
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“I think losing Those Two Positions (in Budget Cuts) Shouldn’t have Havend in Terms of Priorities, but assessments are nail and continue at the best (rate) they can, at the capacity they’re working at,” she said. “Our psychologists are getting through as quickly as they can.
“Losing Those Positions is a hardship, but they are also difficult positions to fill.”
Assessments are “an essential part” of What the school board’s psychology DESE DES, MILLER SAID, NOTING THE WORK HELPS DIAGNOSE LEARNING ISSIVES AS ADHD OR A MILD Intellectual Disability.
For bender, Finding Thousands of Dollars to Pay for a Private Assessment is unreasonable.
Recounded from Editorial
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The London-Area School Board, The Fourth-Largest in Ontario, is Being Audited by the Minister of Education Following A $ 38,000, Three-Day Retreat for 18 Board Administrators at the Toronto Blue Jays’ Stadium Hotel in August, Details of Which Were First Reported by the free press.
Also part of the audit will be the compensation paid to senior staff. Senior Administrators at the Thames Valley Board Were Paid 12 to 33 per cent More in 2023 Compared to the Previous Year.
Thames Valley Trustees Have Been Faced with a Multimillion-Dollar Deficit for More Than a Year, But Learned Recently It has continued to spike and now sits at $ 16.8 Million due to from that that included overestimatting the number of studs Who WoLD Enroll In Fall 2024.
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The Thames Valley Budget is Roughly $ 1.2 Billion annually.
Stament from the Minister of Education
“The minister of education do not require a diagnosis or a professional assessment to provide learning accommodations. The Redirement Process for a Professional Assessment is a School Board Decision. While the Minister of Education is Responsible for Policy That Directs The Allocation of Funding to School Boards for Special Education Programms and Services, School Boards are Responsible for Providing Programs and Services to Students With Special Education Needs, Including Staffing. This flexibility in Resource Allocation Remains with the Boards Becuse they are in the best position to respond to local needs when setting budget priorities and Determining What Special Education Programs and Services Are Needed To Meet the Needs of Their Students. For the 2024-25 School Year, the Minister of Education has been provided $ 11.5 million in funding to school boards for professionals. ”
Number of Assessments done in 2023-24 in Thames Valley Schools
- Psychological Assessments: 602
- Speech Language Assessments: 936
Number of assessments therefore in 2022-23
- Psychological Assessments: 755
- Speech Language Assessments: 882
Number of Students with individual education plans
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