House Joint Resolution Number 129 "requested the Department of Education to study the rates of reimbursement for special class placements for educable mentally retarded pupils, including the appropriate class size, the advisability of teacher aides and the amount of the reimbursement." The resolution recognized 1) that regulations of the Board of Education governing State reimbursement for special education programs provide for reimbursement for educable mentally retarded pupils at the rate of four hundred twenty-five dollars per pupil in a special class placement, but rates of reimbursement for pupils with other types of handicaps in special class placements range from five hundred eighty-five dollars to one thousand one hundred ten dollars per pupil; 2) that the class sizes of special class placements to which the rates of reimbursement apply are a maximum of sixteen pupils per class for educable mentally retarded children but a maximum of six to ten without an aide and eight to twelve with an aide for all other types of handicaps; 3) that rates of reimbursement are established for special classes both with and without aides for every type of handicap except educable mental retardation; and 4) that no recent study has been done to determine the appropriate class sizes, the advisability of teacher aides or the cost of classes in the case of special education programs for the educable mentally retarded.

Thus it was resolved that the Department of Education would conduct a study examining certain aspects of programs for the Educable Mentally Retarded in Virginia's public schools.

The following objectives were established:

1) To conduct a study of appropriate class size, advisability of teacher aides, and the corresponding amount of reimbursement for special education placement of educable mentally retarded pupils;

2) To obtain the input of parents, teachers and administrators regarding appropriate class size and the advisability of teacher aides;

3) To develop a report of findings and to make recommendations to the General Assembly.

In order to meet the above objectives the following activities were initiated:

1) A survey of states and a review of the literature were conducted, including both published and unpublished documents;

2) Case studies of programs for the educable mentally retarded were conducted in fourteen school divisions; and

3) A task force was convened to address the issues set forth in HJR 129 and make recommendations to the Department of Education.