District expands bus runs as out-of-district special-education placements grow

The superintendent told the board the district has added several transportation runs to the capital region to carry students placed in out-of-district special-education programs, a response to limited availability at BOCES and other regional providers.

Why it matters: several high-need students require programs not available in-district; the district described sending multiple buses to place students in specialized programs, increasing operational complexity and costs.

The superintendent said districts across the region are seeing tighter capacity at BOCES and similar programs, and the district is using its own fleet to transport students to seven or more facilities in the capital region. The superintendent described the placements as “not ideal” for students, who may have long travel times and mixed stops, but said the district’s tutoring center and retired-teacher staff have temporarily supported students awaiting placements.

Board context and next steps District staff said some students remain on waiting lists for placements and that staff continue to communicate with potential host programs. The superintendent praised the transportation and special-education teams for arranging placements and described the situation as a moving target; no formal policy change was proposed at the meeting.

Ending Staff will continue to seek placements and report updates to the board; no budget motion related to transportation was made at this meeting.