Lake Forest highlights growing special-education population, staffing and community internships

Michelle Oliver, the district’s special programs director, told the Lake Forest Board of Education on Feb. 12 that the district is serving roughly 763 students classified for special education — about 20% of total enrollment — and is increasing staff and services to meet rising needs. “We are remaining at 20 about 20% special ed. We have a total of 763 students,” Oliver said during her presentation.

Why it matters: The district’s reported growth affects staffing, budget planning and placement decisions. Oliver said the district increased special-education coordinators from seven to nine and added clinicians including a school psychologist and additional speech-language pathologists to reduce caseload pressure and expand in-district supports.

Key details: Oliver described several program and funding developments. The district received $145,000 in Perkins funds (versus a $103,000 budgeted figure), providing an approximately $42,000 increase for CTE-related supports for high school career-technical education programs. She said 52 students currently attend external placements and that this year all outside placements were approved through the state ICT process for 70% reimbursement of tuition costs. Oliver also said the district’s MLL (multilingual learners) cohort stands at about 158 students (roughly 4% of enrollment) with four MLL teachers and that K–3 consolidation is housed at East Elementary.

Programmatic and audit context: Oliver said Lake Forest is in a five-year federal audit cycle for IDEA-funded programs and that an in-person review of IEP files (a 20% sample at each school) is underway; staff will meet to examine audit feedback and adopt best-practice changes. She described steps to reduce out-of-district placements by building in-district services and increasing vertical articulation between sending and receiving schools.

Partnerships and transitions: Oliver highlighted internships and community partnerships used to expand students’ work experience — citing placements at Ace Hardware and upcoming internships at a local casino — and said staff are developing an 18–22 transition program expecting 5–7 participants next year and about 12 the following year to further job-readiness and independence supports.

Questions and next steps: Board members asked about caseload assignment (handled by building administrators), eligibility and exit testing for MLL students (annual WIDA ACCESS testing; students exit when they reach proficiency), and whether some specialized programs accept out-of-district students (Oliver said High Roads is funded and reserved for Lake Forest students). Oliver said the district will continue to refine staffing and services and review audit feedback with the special education leadership team.

The board received the report; no formal action was required beyond discussion.