ESD 112 Special Education ESA Members
Meeting Special Needs
The ESA 112 Special Education Cooperative provides special education services to children with disabilities in 29 member districts across the region and state. The cooperative is unique in Washington State, providing all specialeducation services including planning, delivering, monitoring, evaluating, and supervising specially designed programs to meet the needs of children identified with disabilities. The cooperative hires highly qualified professionals and supervises all special education staff including all teachers, paraeducators, coordinators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, and school psychologists, as well as budgeting and expending resources for member districts. The cooperative operates programs that are consistent with school district and building goals and provides focused knowledge and expertise in research-based, best practices in special education.
History
The cooperative began furnishing itinerant services in 1972. With the addition of classroom services in 1984, ESD 112 became a direct service district for participating resident districts in Southwest Washington and extending the cooperative's benefits to include:
- More flexible, effective and efficient use of staff and other resources
- All member districts, regardless of size or rural location, have equal access to all services
- It's a guarantee - all children receive services
- No single member takes the full cost of an expensive placement since all costs are shared
- Members receive administrative sercice without the addition of extra duties to a proncipal or hiring a special education administrator
- Legal and technical expertise available to members at any time
Leadership
The coopertive is governed by an elected chair and represenative five-member executive advisory committee comprised of participating districts' superintendents. Although districts agree to pool their fiscal resources and share in staff, materials and resources, all members receive services based on needs, not a pro rata portion of their contributions.