4. Avoid the cliff and improve productivity? Will the proposed use of funds avoid recurring costs that states, school systems, and schools are unprepared to assume when this funding ends? Given these economic times, will the proposed use serve as “bridge funding” to help transition to more effective and efficient approaches?
YES.
*School districts in the state of California have been fiscally overwhelmed by the over 13% average yearly rise in diagnosis of autism over the past 20 years. There are no signs of the autism epidemic slowing, nor the costs associated with autism education declining. ^Studies show that effective early intervention programs can save school districts over $275,000 over the course of a students enrollment. By implementing the CLM, schools can utilize stimulus funds to provide high-quality early intervention while building the in-house capacity necessary to replicate ‘best practice’ instruction.
*https://www.dds.ca.gov/AUTISM/docs/AutismReport_2007.pdf
^Jacobson, J., Mulick, J., Green, G. Cost-benefit Estimates for Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism, Behavioral Interventions, 1998, Volume 13, 201-226