Special-education caseload rises to about 177; district outlines new 6–12 structured program

Miss Lowe, the district’s student services/special education leader, told the board the district’s special-education caseload has continued to grow and now totals about 177 students.

“Right now, we have a total of a 177 students in the special education department,” Miss Lowe said while reviewing spring enrollment and staffing. She told the board the district added roughly 25 students this year after a 50-student increase the previous year and that the district currently has 13 outside placements, up from 11 last year.

Miss Lowe described steps the district uses to identify students and move them to special education services, including child-find screening, evaluations, and an individual family service plan (IFSP) rollover for young children. She said five incoming kindergarteners will transition from IFSPs to IEPs and that some newly enrolled students arrived with prior identifications from other districts.

To address capacity and costs, Miss Lowe and other administrators described plans for a new structured learning, communication and life-skills program in Building 1. The planned 6–12 program is intended to serve about 15 students and operate as a program (not a single self-contained classroom) that allows participating students to take electives and some classes at the high school and FCS. Miss Lowe said hiring a district autism specialist and creating the new program could allow the district to repatriate five or six out-of-district placements, lowering per-student costs.

Board members pressed for practical details: how transitions back to district schools work, whether parents must agree to move their children, and the cost and timeline for staffing. Miss Lowe said parents may opt to keep their child in the receiving district if they choose, but the district will notify families that services are now available locally and can offer transition meetings.

Miss Lowe detailed current staffing in the special-education program, naming certified teachers, instructional assistants and contracted specialists (speech, OT, PT, audiology). She noted the district contracts some services through regional providers and recently added a 0.6 autism specialist and a half-time psychologist to support evaluations.

Why it matters: out-of-district placements often carry much higher costs, and a locally operated structured program could reduce spending while expanding services for students with complex needs. The board asked staff to return with comparative data and more detailed fiscal and staffing breakdowns for future planning.

The board did not take formal action on the program at the meeting; staff said planning and hiring would continue with additional updates to the board.