NorthJersey.com

City education officials are planning to convert Dale Avenue School into a program for 118 children with multiple disabilities and autism, which they said will save the district $9.8 million in the coming school year. The district currently has 100 children in pre-K who have multiple disabilities and would have to go to out-of-district special education programs because of space limitations in the district’s current configuration when classes resume in September, officials said. Another 18 students with multiple disabilities currently attend outside programs, said Cheryl Coy, the district’s assistant superintendent for special education. But the out-of-district programs come at a heavy cost — ranging from $35,000 to $100,000 per year per child, not including other expenses like transportation, Coy said.