MEXIA (June 1, 2009)--Mexia Superintendent Jason Ceyanes said Monday afternoon that he will recommend the school board vote to drop the district's lawsuit against the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services Monday evening after unanimous passage of legislation that would provide an additional estimated $400,000 for the school district to hire staff for the mentally retarded alleged offenders it educates.

The suit was filed after an ongoing disagreement over staffing and space issues between Mexia Independent School District and the Mexia State School.

Ceyanes said he feels Senate Bill 643 erases the need for the lawsuit.

The basis of that lawsuit was the school district's desire for additional staff to support teachers educating mentally retarded alleged offenders from the nearby state school in Mexia, staffing the state school has said was the school district's responsibility to provide.

Ceyanes has said the main concern has been the violent felony offenses of which the Mexia State School residents were accused.

The legislation that was passed will guarantee an additional $5100 for each alleged offender Mexia ISD educated either on its campuses, or at the state school.

It also guarantees that the state school must provide additional classroom space for students and ARD committee rules would be better educated at the state school versus in the public school alternative classroom.

Ceyanes said Gov. Rick Perry has not yet signed the bill into law, but is believed to support the legislation fully.

The only remaining concern for the superintendent is the issue of "least restrictive environment", that he fears might see the alleged offenders educated in the same classrooms as mainstream high school students.

He said state legislators believe that issue to be a federal mental disabilities issue, and did not include wording concerning it in the new bill.

However, Ceyanes said he believes the Mexia school board members will vote unanimously in favor of his recommendation to drop the lawsuit in light of the legislative support.

The bill is designed as of right now to provide this additional funding only to the Mexia ISD.