Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett in Need of Funds

Elinore Trotter cannot imagine a day without waking up and heading to 660 Davis Road in Lawrenceville. She is the principal of the Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett. "This school is my life," Trotter said. "If it closed, so would I."

The Special Needs School of Gwinnett is a non-profit educational and therapeutic program serving children and young adults with special needs. Like many organizations, it has fallen on hard times. "The economy has really affected the school drastically," said Kara Bryan, fundraising coordinator and para-pro. "Donations are a lot less and it's a bit harder to get the help and response that we used to have."

School leaders are counting on the community to help. SNS is one of three charities that will benefit from the ." The all-day event includes a 5k race, artist and craft booths and plenty of shopping. A portion of the money collected will go towards the school. "It takes about $40,000 a month to keep the school going and we're in crunch time," Trotter said. "For some reason February and March are really hard for us." Teachers haven't been paid on time, but continue to show up because they love the job. "The staff is here because they want to teach. It can't be about the money because we make about a fourth of what a teacher in Gwinnett County does," said Trotter.

This year, Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett celebrates 25 years. Founder, Bev Bailey, started a preschool in 1987 out of the in Lawrenceville. Trotter has been there since the beginning."I was the first teacher. We started with four students and me in a paint closet. That was the first classroom we had," Trotter said.

The school grew rapidly year after year and eventually moved locations and expanded to include age’s 18-months all the way to young adults. "We got tired of hearing that our kids left the school and were told things like if they could fold towels they could work at the Marriott when they grew up," said Trotter. "I have much higher ambitions for the kids...much higher."

The classrooms are structured so that each student gets special attention, no matter the disability or level of learning. "We don't make the student's fit us, we fit the students," said Trotter. "If there are ten students in a class, there can be ten different math's going on." Much of the staff of 22 teachers and para-pro's (teacher's aides) has been there for several years. "My teachers are the best. We don't have a big rollover. When they get here, they don't leave," Trotter said. No faculty or student is turned away because of disability. "I have a teacher who is excellent and she has cerebral palsy," said Trotter. I found Rachael Moscoso on this day teaching math to middle schoolers. "I love the kids and the whole atmosphere," she said.

Enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis. Tuition can run upwards of $10,000 a year. "We never turn anyone away because of money," Trotter said. "If a mom tells me 'my child needs this school' that's good enough for me. We find it for them somewhere." According to Trotter, the majority of the students at SNS have , the remaining have other developmental disabilities including Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Take a walk around the school grounds and you won't hear the word "disability" used much at all. "We don’t talk about disabilities, we talk about capabilities," Trotter said. "You won’t ever hear me say you can’t do that because... can’t just doesn’t even come in the door."

Trotter gets around the campus in a wheelchair after losing a leg a year ago from an infection. "I'd been in the hospital 143 times," said the principal. She came in and talked to the students before having surgery. "I told them that the next time they saw me I would look different, and that it’s okay to look different," Trotter said. "When I came back to school after I got home from the hospital, not one person said anything accept welcome back."

Right now, the school operates out of two buildings and two trailers. Trotter hopes to add a new building on the eight-acre property that will be able to house 130 students, double the amount they can currently hold. Once that happens, the older buildings will be converted into housing for the adult students. "We would like to start group homes so they can start moving out and learn how to take care of a home."

There are many success stories. "We had a young man when he came in he could say two sounds, “stop” and “duh." He graduated from the University of Georgia in communications," Trotter beams from behind her desk. Everything from the upkeep of the school grounds to the supplies are all thanks to the generosity of parents and donors. The staff hopes that giving will continue and the community will keep standing by the school. "This organization is so inspiring to be a part of," said Carol Donegan, a 15-year staff member. "The kids get what they need in an environment where they are loved and nurtured, and an education that goes beyond wrapping towels and picking up after people. They're going to get a job and go out in life and we are here to help them do it."

Trotter has no plans of slowing down. "A lot of people asked me 'when are you going to retire? I say when the school doesn’t need me anymore. This is family... this school means too much to me."