Portland schools outline special-education shortfalls, approve contractor to boost paraeducator substitute fill rates

At a Oct. 9 meeting of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education's Teaching, Learning and Enrollment Committee, district special-education leaders described persistent staffing shortages and funding shortfalls and outlined steps already taken to raise substitute paraeducator fill rates and standardize special-education practice.

Chief of Student Services Jay Bueno and Senior Director of Special Education Kelly Charles told the committee that special-education enrollment and complexity are rising while the state funding weight for students with disabilities is capped at 11 percent of ADM, leaving a sizable gap between what the district spends and what it receives.

The committee heard that the district’s October 1 count identified 7,614 students receiving special-education services, that roughly 17 percent of students are served in special education, and that the district spent about $160,000,000 on special-education services last year. Bueno said the district’s federal IDEA allocation was about $8,900,000 and that additional state weighted funding and Student Investment Account dollars together do not cover total expenditures.

Committee members were shown staffing and operational problems the district says are preventing consistent service delivery. Bueno…