Bear Valley Unified School District board members on Tuesday heard staff introduce several new classified and certificated hires, were told the district’s current enrollment stands at about 2,180 students and discussed a growing special-education caseload that may require additional support staff rather than new teachers.

During the meeting, a district staff member read appointments for classified positions including cafeteria workers, instructional aides and special-education aides, and then introduced Megan Sullivan as a newly hired first-grade teacher at Baldwin Lane Elementary School. “I’m Megan Sullivan,” Sullivan said after being introduced; she was present with family members in the meeting room.

Superintendent Marquez told the board the district was “sitting pretty tight right now at 2,180,” saying enrollment remained at or slightly above projections despite some movement in and out of the district. He and other staff flagged specific class-size pressure at North Shore Elementary, where fifth-grade classes are “right around 33, 34” students, and noted tight sections at the middle school and Baldwin Lane.

Staff and board members also discussed special education. Marquez said the district had received about 10 new students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) over the summer and that the number could be closer to 20. Officials estimated the district’s special-education population at roughly 17 percent, and said that trend appears higher than earlier years. Staff warned that growth in the number and severity of needs — including autism, ADHD and health impairments — is increasing demand for one-on-one aides and specialized services.

District leaders said they are monitoring classrooms and special-education needs closely and will wait about four weeks before deciding whether to add certificated teachers; in the short term they expect to add support staff or aides. One staff member said site visits and conversations with teachers were intended to ensure services match student needs.

Board members and staff emphasized that the district would continue to monitor attendance and IEP trends before making staffing changes.

Less urgent personnel items — routine approvals on the consent calendar and ratification of salary schedules and waivers — were handled separately by motion and vote during the meeting.