School District plans to appoint assistant director of special education after leadership change

The Fitchburg Public Schools School Committee meeting on April 22, 2024, focused on significant changes within the Special Education Department following the resignation of Rowan Dimanche, the former Director of Pupil Services. The committee discussed the decision to forgo hiring a new director and instead post for an Assistant Director of Special Education. This new role will support Alicia Baraspi, the current Director of Special Education, in managing compliance and educational services for special education students.

The meeting highlighted the restructuring of leadership within the department, noting that three existing directors—Pam Rivers for Nursing and Health Services, Bridal Keenan for Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Laura Douglas for Early Childhood—will now take on responsibilities that previously fell under the Director of Pupil Services. This change aims to enhance departmental efficiency and is expected to result in cost savings for the district.

The committee acknowledged that approximately 25% of students in the district are designated as special education, which is above the state average of 20.4%. All of these students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), although this figure does not include students placed in out-of-district collaborative centers. The committee anticipates that the number of special education students may increase due to new enrollments and students moving into the district with existing IEPs.

The Assistant Director position will be initially limited to one hire, with the possibility of requesting an additional assistant in the future if the workload around compliance and IEPs continues to grow. The committee expressed optimism that these changes will lead to improved management of special education services in Fitchburg Public Schools.