Maryland § 8-311

§ 8-311.

    (a)    The Maryland School for the Blind shall establish and operate a program of enhanced services for blind students who have other severe disabilities.

    (b)    The Maryland School for the Blind shall include a description of the program in the written agreement with the Department of Education required under § 8–312 of this subtitle.

    (c)    The costs of providing enhanced services to a child under the program shall be shared by the State and by the county in which the child is domiciled as provided in subsection (d) of this section.

    (d)    (1)    (i)    Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the Department, in consultation with the Maryland School for the Blind, shall determine on an individual basis those students who are eligible for the enhanced program described in this section.

            (ii)    Students served in the enhanced program shall be students who are at risk of requiring nonpublic placement in an out–of–state special education facility, including students who are blind/deaf or students with other severe and multiple disabilities.

        (2)    (i)    The county in which a child placed in the enhanced program is domiciled shall pay the local share of the “basic cost”, as defined in § 8–415(d)(1) of this title, of the education for that child.

            (ii)    A county which pays the local share of the “basic cost” as provided in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph shall not pay the tuition required in § 8–309 of this subtitle.

        (3)    The State shall pay the cost of serving a student in the enhanced program based on an individual cost sheet completed by the Department for each student enrolled in the program.

    (e)    In addition to the funding provided for enhanced services under this section, the Governor shall annually include at least $1,000,000 in the State budget for the cost of providing residential services.

    (f)    On or before September 1 each year, the Department shall report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Committee on Ways and Means, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on:

        (1)    The number of students enrolled in the program established under subsection (a) of this section;

        (2)    The annual costs of the program established under subsection (a) of this section; and

        (3)    Any anticipated enrollment growth and future costs related to the program established under subsection (a) of this section.