High-Cost Special Education Program

Who is eligible?

• First Nations and First Nations organizations.
• First Nations-mandated organizations designated by First Nations as service providers, including not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, private education institutions, and organizations designated to deliver childhood education programming to eligible students ordinarily living on reserve.
• Provincial ministries of education.
• Provincial school boards or school board-like entities.
• Federal schools and funding agreement managers and recipient appointed advisors in accordance with ISC Default Prevention and Management Policy.

Eligible expenses

• Tuition and tuition top ups for special education students attending band operated, federal, provincial, private or independent schools.
• In-school expertise, development and monitoring of IEP or other professional assessments; salaries or benefits for special education teachers and teacher aide or paraprofessional workers; educational psychological, counselling or social work, Elder, speech or language, occupational therapy, and physical therapy services.
• Instructional or resource materials, assistive technologies, and equipment purchases.
• Information services, contracted professional support and assessments, professional development, accommodations including room and board, changes to instruction, curriculum or environment, transportation, emergency transportation, and administration support such as clerical support, office supplies, data reporting, and safeguarding personal information.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Services for special education students whose needs are mild to moderate.
• Enhanced programs and services for gifted students or enriched, subject-specific programming for students streamed into drama and the arts.
• Expenditures for constructing, operating and maintaining facilities or purchasing vehicles.
• Duplication of federal funding for the same activity.

• Capacity to manage the implementation of the activities proposed in the funding request.
• Engagement and commitment involving support from schools and communities.
• Implementation activities that identify timelines, cost-effectiveness and anticipated impact on outcomes.
• Management activities that support governance, deliverables, monitoring and reporting.
• Costs assessed on the basis of estimation of reasonableness of expenditures.

• Submit proposals during the annual call for proposals.
• Submit detailed requests for all high-cost special education activities to be undertaken during the school year.
• Clearly state how the proposed activities will further the program objectives, respond to students' high-cost special education needs, and support the expected results.
• First Nations organizations in British Columbia must apply through the First Nations Education Steering Committee.

• ISC regional offices solicit, review and evaluate incoming funding requests.
• Funding requests are reviewed and approved by the ISC regional office or jointly by the ISC regional office and a First Nations management organization.
• A written response is sent to applicants to confirm whether their funding request has been approved.
• Reporting requirements and due dates are listed in the recipient's funding agreement, and recipients must report on all funds received and expended, including retained unexpended funding.
• Desk or on-site reviews, audits, evaluations, and targeted program strategy reviews may be conducted in collaboration with the recipient.