VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 1
Marina McCormick
Region 4 Education Service Center
marina.mccormick@esc4.net
What Are Regional Day School Programs for the Deaf?
Providing special education services and support in a state as large as Texas
can be challenging. In Texas, independent school districts (ISDs) and charter
schools can enter into written contracts to jointly operate and manage such
services. Such contracts are known as shared services arrangements (SSAs). By
sharing special education services among SSA member districts and charter
schools, services can be provided more efficiently and effectively than if each
district or charter school chose to do so independently. SSAs can be tailored to
identify which special education services will be provided and who will be
responsible for the provision of services between the member districts and charter
schools. SSAs can also be written to govern services provided through regional day
school programs for the deaf (RDSPDs) (Texas Education Agency (TEA), 2013).
Supporting Children who are Deafblind in
the Region 4 RDSPD