District presents special-education update: 855 students with IEPs, plan to go out for public review

Doctor Boyd gave the board a detailed special‑education update, describing required compliance steps and data the district will use in its triennial plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Doctor Boyd told the board that the district’s December 1 count shows 855 students with individualized education programs (IEPs), and that the district did not meet targets in two federal reporting areas related to assessment participation and the proficiency gap between students with IEPs and their general‑education peers. He described the special‑education plan as a roughly 140‑page document that will be posted for a 28‑day public review before returning to the board for final approval and then submission to PDE by the May 1 deadline.

The presentation included breakdowns by disability category and grade‑level placement. Boyd highlighted that autistic support enrollment had grown (from 105 in a prior year to about 120 at present) and said that the increase would likely require an additional two to three teachers in those programs.

Administrators described action steps to close achievement gaps, including MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) strategies, professional development on high‑impact instructional practices, continued co‑teaching models, and use of paraprofessionals and special‑education staff to reduce caseload pressure. Doctor Boyd also noted staffing counts tied to the December 1 snapshot: approximately 113 paraprofessionals and 57 special‑education teachers, with average caseloads in learning‑support classrooms.

The board followed with questions about the size of cohorts, the meaning of dips in particular assessment years, and whether special‑education performance can be compared with like populations statewide. Doctor Boyd said he would investigate cross‑district comparison possibilities and provide follow‑up materials.

Next steps: administration will publish the draft special‑education plan for public comment for 28 days, take comments, and return an adjusted plan for board approval before the PDE submission deadline.