The Support Services Division provides functions of USDB related to Administration, Educational Support, Residential Care Oversight, and Transportation. The following paragraphs detail each of the major operating sections of support services:
Administration: USDB administration represents business management (coordinated through the State Office of Education), personnel services, and data processing costs.
Educational Support: Educational Support includes professional staff that support the educational goals of students as outlined in their Individualized Education Programs (IEP). These professionals include audiologists, orientation and mobility specialists, physical therapists, and psychologists.
Resident Services: In some cases, a student's IEP indicates that educational goals may be better fulfilled in a residential program. USDB supports four residential cottages (which hold 12 students) and two housing units that hold up to 18 students. Students reside at the school during the week and return home for the weekend.
Transportation: Students that receive educational services in a USDB self-contained classroom are bussed from home to the location of their school each day. The Support Services Division provides coordination between the student's residence and the closest classroom based on disability and classroom capacity. In addition, the division may coordinate the transportation of residential students on the weekends.
Other Support Services: In addition to those services mentioned above, USDB has staff to provide food services at school and in the residential facilities, as well as staff to perform building and ground maintenance.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $17,977,700 from all sources for Support Services. This is a 0.8 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $13,034,000 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 9.9 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:
The closing nonlapsing balance in FY 2013 and the beginning nonlapsing balance in FY 2014 do not tie out in the Support Services program. This is due to USIMAC's nonlapsing balance of $169,800 being excluded in FY 2013. As of FY 2014, any nonlapsing balance in USIMAC will be recorded in the Support Services program.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.