5:56 now that we have our cans of beans, what do we need next?

T.165
:02 Eric. A large stalks of celery. Ok, so celery. So where are we going to find the celery...in the refrigerator...ok, so while Eric goes to get the celery what else do we need to make the chili....

Eric- who has Downs Syndrome- is a 19 year old student at Merrimack High School.

He’s one of about ten students bustling around preparing chili.

As part of their life and job skills curriculum, they prepare soup on Wednesdays and sell it in school the next day.

But Eric doesn’t have much time for chili today.

He’s off to a job training site- a local diner- where he preps pancakes, waffles and bacon and does some cleaning.

Eric says he loves his work.

T.165
17:41 I have been dreaming about this is my forever dream to be a restaurant owner. I really want to own a place and be a business man.

Staff, here, recognize basic cooking skills will ultimately help these students find work and live independently.

Under state law, schools are responsible for children with disabilities from age 3-21.

The kid’s disabilities vary- some have severe attention deficit disorders, others are autistic, and some have very serious learning disabilities.

Merrimack’s Special Education program prides itself on getting about two-thirds of its students into some type of paid work.

But teacher Christine Reinart says it would be easier for Eric and his classmates if they could practice these skills in a more real-world setting.

T.165
38:28...if you can teach cooking on an oven and a stove and you can use a washer and a dryer, whereas..we are using the classroom tables where students sit for math class...the harder that’s going to be for the student to translate those skills into a real life setting.

Right now, students at Merrimack use an old pre-school room - 2 ½ foot high counters and sinks designed for itty-bitty four year old hands.

Merrimack Director of Special Services David St. Jean says he wants to remodel the whole room.

T.165
25:45...it’s hard to go to the public with this economy and add a kitchen, but with the stimulus money, our hope is we could create the kitchen here, hire local laborers to build it, buy a refrigerator, buy a stove so that’s the whole idea, help the economy, help the students, and build something that will be here the next 20 years.

Special Education Directors around the state are beginning to meet with staff and take stock of their programs.

The New Hampshire School Administrators Association says at this early stage many districts are leaning towards using fund for teacher training, early childhood programs and data collection and analysis.

Most districts are in line to receive about 50% of what they annually get from Washington.

And while that’s a sizeable amount of money, School Administrator’s Executive Director Mark Joyce says districts have to remember this money’s only around for two years.

8:35...we have to be prepared to not have the money to pay for in two years. So as a result folks are thinking about ways to improve infrastructure...that won’t cause a long-term funding obligation for the tax payer.

In order to get their hands on the money, local districts must apply to the state Department of Education.

Few, if any, schools have submitted requests yet.

That’s because the federal Department of Education hasn’t answered key questions yet- like will schools need to prove this new money helps students academically.

Nate Greenberg, Londonderry’s School Superintendent, says his top priority is to strengthen the program that helps 18-21 year olds find work.

19:!6 it would be very difficult on transition activities from high school to workforce, to show there was “increase in achievement.” How am I going to measure that?

9:02 that’s the ultimate goal, to get these students a job.

That’s Patty Guard, Acting Director of Special Education Programs for the U.S. Department of Education.

...each student has what’s called an Individualized Educaiton Program that’s developed with parents and school personnel. If there goal is to learn to cook that might lead to employment, those are the types of things that can be supported with these funds.

Guard says the Department does not intend to require local school districts to report on academic achievement.

Guard says the Department is working to finalize its reporting requirements as quickly as possible.

And of course, that leaves school districts in a holding pattern.

But Londonderry Superintendent Nate Greenberg says schools aren’t just waiting on Washington.

He says he and other administrators won’t start to spend this money until the state completes its new budget.

15:53 if the state cuts back on reimbursement for special ed. expenses...and there’s a way I can use funds from IDEA to offset that loss of funding...than that’s a direction I would look to go in.

Federal education officials say the point of the $47 million dollars is to challenge the status quo and improve student’s lives.

But Greenberg says, given the state’s budget woes, the reality is that this much of this money might go towards preserving the status quo.

For NHPR News, I’m DG.