DOCUMENTS: Shoreline School District Again Pleads for Help From Legislature for Fircrest

Since 2006, the number of school age residents at Fircrest Residential Habilitation Center in Shoreline has grown from one to currently 25 severely disabled students.

Fircrest is now the only residential habilitation program in the state accepting school-age residents who are 16 to 21 years old.

And during that time the Shoreline School District has shouldered more of the financial and staffing responsibility for the education of those residents.

In the last four years, revenues for the programs the district provides have been signifcantly less than the indirect and direct costs to the school district for what is supposed to be a state program.

The district has not been reiumbursed for $860,249 in costs for the last four years, including a high of $311,206 in the 2011-12 school year.

Shoreline School District Superintendent Sue Walker sent a letter Oct. 17(see attached PDF) to the 32nd and 46th District legislators, stating her continued concern on the impacts to the Shoreline School District.

"It' a huge responsibliity for the district. It causes stress throughout our system," she said. "Staff do not last long in these jobs."

The cost for worker's compensation claims in 2011-12 alone was $144,458 from injuries sustained by workers at Fircrest from working with the students there who adult-size and suffer from autism and other serious disabilities that affect behavior. 

Fircrest Costs to Shoreline School District

Rep. Ruth Kagi, who has worked on the issue for five years, thought she had made some headway last legislative session although the long-term solution she and the district had been seeking did get enough support.

About $250,000 from the Department of Health and Social Services was added to the House budget by Rep. Ross Hunter, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, to assist Shoreline Schools. 

However, even though the  budget with the money for Shoreline passed the Legislature, that line-item for Shoreline was vetoed by Governor Chris Gregoire.

It was yet another blow to Kagi and the Shoreline School District.

Walker, who has testisified before legislative committees annually for several years, said she gets nods of support in Olympia but in the end the result is the same: no more money and no new solution other than having the district continue to shoulder the burden.

"We believe that this situation is simply not acceptable and we are respectfully asking for your help in finding a resolution, both short and long-term, " she wrote the legislators. "Our school board, staff, PTA and community are eager to work with you to find solutions to this issue and its growing impact on our educational community. Thank you for listening and for any efforts you expend on our behalf."