To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries Bureau Directors
Directors of Services, Centers and Heads of Units Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents Heads, Public Elementary Schools

1. With its commitment to give quality educational services to children with special needs, the Department of Education (DepEd), through the Special Education (SPED) Division of the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) has facilitated the granting of financial subsidy for the School Year (SY) 2012-2013 to support the implementation for the 345 recognized Elementary SPED Centers with an aggregate amount of One Hundred Eighty Million and Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP180,500,000.00).
2. To sustain the implementation of the SPED programs, projects and activities, and to ensure effective utilization of this fund, this Department has issued the Guidelines on the Utilization of the Support Funds for the Recognized Elementary Special Education (SPED) Centers.
3. The following are the Guidelines:
   a. The allocations for the regions and divisions for monitoring the implementation of programs and projects for children with special needs, as well as ensuring the effective utilization of the downloaded funds are included in the said amount;
   b. The subsidy granted per SPED Center (Enclosure No. 1) shall be utilized to support the implementation of the following activities of the SPED Programs as reflected in the approved School Improvement Plan (SIP):
   • 1. Pupil development activities such as training, educational visits, camp activities, sports and pupil participation in SPED related activities;
   • 2. Procurement of instructional and reference materials, psychological and other assessment tests, early intervention materials, supplies for the Transition Program, manipulative materials for the gifted and talented, and other disabilities; and
   • 3. Professional upgrading of teachers and school heads (SHs) / supervisors and travel expenses relative to their participation and attendance to activities relevant to the implementation of the program;

   c. The standards in procuring materials for the gifted are as follows:

   • 1. Instructional materials shall be over and above those in the regular program;
   • 2. Instructional materials shall develop the gifted child’s intellectual abilities and talents in the arts and sciences, mathematics, social sciences and communication;
   • 3. Instructional materials shall offer more opportunities for the gifted child to develop deeper understanding and gain a wide range of intellectual, social and artistic experiences more than that of the average child; and
   • 4. Instructional materials shall also be technology-based, requiring the use of electronic equipment which include, but not limited to software programs, video discs, optical discs, compact discs, video and audio tapes

   d. The subsidy shall be released directly to the recipient schools with fiscal autonomy or through the Division Offices (DOs) for those schools without fiscal autonomy pursuant to the provisions of the Department of Education-Department of Budget and Management (DepEd-DBM) Joint Circular No. 2004-1 entitled “The Guidelines on the Direct Release of Funds to Regional Offices and Implementing Units.”
   e. Monitoring at all levels shall be conducted to ensure the effective utilization of the downloaded funds; and
   f. Financial and Physical Accomplishment Report of activities undertaken during the year using the template (Enclosure No. 2) shall be submitted to the Budget Division with a copy furnished to the Office of the Director, Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE). Likewise, the basic data on SPED for the current year and the Regional/Division Development Plan/School Improvement Plan (SIP) citing activities for the SPED Center for the ensuing year shall be furnished to the same office.

4. Non-compliance may result to the suspension of subsidy.
5. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

Encls.: As stated
References: DepEd Order Nos.: 85 and 69, s. 2011

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
FUNDS
PUPILS
POLICY
SCHOOLS
PROGRAMS
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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