Dr. Joseph Merhaut Talks About Need for Paraeducators

When Dr. Joseph Merhaut speaks about special needs students and paraeducators, he knows what he is talking about at myriad levels.

Merhaut is the father of , a special needs student at . He also is a former director on the Pine-Richland School Board.

Besides that, he is the chairman of the Special Education Department at Slippery Rock University. Merhaut received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for outstanding teaching, scholarship and service at Slippery Rock University in 2009.

So when he stood before the microphone to speak at a recent Pine-Richland School Board meeting, people listened.

The possibility of cutting the number of paraeducators at the school worried him, he said, referring to plans to cut two positions and not fill five vacancies.

That is what is proposed in the district's $63 million proposed budget for the 2011-12 school year.

When a special needs student's Individual Education Plan -- commonly referred to as an IEP -- calls for a paraeducator, the law requires the school district to provide one, Merhaut said.

If one is not provided, it is problematic for the child, and "that has due process written all over it," he said in a phone interview.

"School districts do not want to put themselves in that position," Merhaut continued.

As a former judge for due process, Merhaut knows it is a "very expensive process and very time consuming," he said.

When parents have an issue with their child's program, which is outlined in the IEP, they have the right to pursue the route of due process, he said. It involves a hearing and possibly mediation.

"In my opinion, nobody wins in due process," said Merhaut, who has been in the education field for 25 years.

In other school districts in the United States, parents have filed civil suits, he said.

"Pine-Richland has done a good job of doing what is best for the child, Merhaut said.

That was evidenced at the recent school board meeting during which parent Mary E. Rinker spoke about her daughter's "success story" of being able to flourish because of the help received through the special education program.

Rinker described her daughter's early years in Florida as unsuccessful when it came to special education and the support she did not receive.

Her daughter, Heather, started out at then moved on to Pine-Richland middle and high schools.

"They didn't give up on her," said Mary Rinker, who added that her child struggled and still needs the help of paraeducators.

"Please don't give up on these kids," she said. "Pine-Richland has some of the best special education teachers I have met" and they need the support of paraeducators.

"Pine-Richland has an excellent special education program," Merhaut said. "They have been excellent with Molly."

The district will have 68 paraeducators for the 2011-12 school year if the proposed budget is passed in its current form, according to Director of Finance and School Services Dana Siford.

Cutting the two paraeducator positions will save the district $57,356 in wages, employer payroll taxes and estimated health care costs, according to Siford's estimates.

Paraeducators are hourly employees whose average rate of pay is about $13 an hour, said Siford. Some work full time; others are part-time employees.

They are part of the Pine-Richland Education Support Professionals Association that negotiates on behalf of them, secretaries, custodians and library assistants, Siford said.

Merhaut describes a paraeducator's job as providing a support mechanism for the teacher and the child. Paraeducators work with students' academic, emotional and behavioral issues, he added.

New paraeducators are now required to have an associate's degree and to complete 20 hours of training every year, he said.

Many of Pine-Richland's paraeducators have a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate, Merhaut said, and he included his wife in that category.

During his 2004-2008 term on the school board, Merhaut said he educated his fellow school board members on what special education is. He said he would be glad to do that again for the current board for free.

One of those board members who served with Merhaut is Dennis Sundo, who now is the board treasurer.

"In my opinion, [Merhaut] probably knows more about special education than anyone in the boardroom last night," said Sundo, referring to the school board meeting.

"So when he talks, I listen. My concerns to date have been based on common sense. It's been stated that our special-needs population has increased 10 percent  to 13 percent and our overall enrollment continues to rise, albeit at a slower pace. I do not understand how we can cut personnel and continue to provide services that the children need.

"Joe comes at it from a different direction. It's the law. These children are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), and the aides are key in the school district providing FAPE.

"When Joe was on the board, he made a statement that always stuck with me. He said, 'If you think providing Special Education Services are expensive, see how expensive it is if you do not provide them.''"

"I only put it in dollar terms because it is budget time," said Sundo. "Besides being the law, it is the right thing to do."

The Pine-Richland School Board directors will discuss the budget again at 6 p.m. Monday, May 16, at a finance committee meeting that is open to the public. Meetings are conducted at the Pine-Richland School District Administrative Building at 702 Warrendale Road, Gibsonia.