Consultants present special-education review, recommend MTSS expansion and program updates

The Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District received a high-level special-education systems review from Alliance Education Associates on the board's agenda, with consultants summarizing findings from document reviews, 97 stakeholder interviews and a stratified sample of 200 IEPs.

The report found several strengths, including generally well-written individualized education programs and detailed transition planning for older students, but it also identified areas for improvement such as inconsistent understanding of foundational legal concepts, outdated program descriptions, and uneven use of integrated co-teaching models. Consultants recommended expanding multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS/RTI), creating districtwide professional learning communities that integrate general and special education staff, and developing clearer eligibility and exit guidelines for related services.

John Maguire of Alliance Education Associates said the firm does a systems analysis rather than compliance monitoring and praised the district's cooperation during the review. "People in your district, without exception, at all schools and at the district office, came to this process professionally, forthrightly, and eager to work together with us as a partner," Maguire said.

Dr. Michael Nyman, also of Alliance, described the methodology and key quantitative findings. He told the board that the district's three-year average for students spending at least 80% of the school day with nondisabled peers is 50 percent, below the state reporting target of about 59 percent and below analogous districts. "This reflects perhaps more of the phenomenon where the district is not using as much integrated co-teaching as it once had," Nyman said.

On staffing, the consultants reported that most disciplines fall within expected ranges based on their comparative database. Occupational therapy staffing was described as "generously staffed" relative to the consultants' benchmarks; school psychology staffing was also on the generous side. The consultants recommended the district consider a central diagnostic team (for example, a school psychologist, a teacher on special assignment, and a speech-language pathologist) to increase uniformity of evaluations and suggested the district evaluate whether parts of OT and PT might be brought in-house to improve scheduling and integration with school teams.

The consultants also reported that as of January there were 196 students placed out of district for special-education services, just under 13 percent of the district's special-education population, which they said is within expectations for comparable districts.

Assistant Superintendent Matthew Beistrecht (presenting the item for district staff) and Superintendent Samano both thanked the AEA team; Samano said the board would receive a fuller written report later and called the presentation a starting point for long-term planning. "There's still a lot of work to be done," Samano said, adding that the district would dig into the full report and engage stakeholders across schools.

The presentation was framed as an overview only; no formal board action or policy change was taken at the meeting. The consultants and district staff said they would follow up with a detailed final report and next steps for implementation planning.

The board and consultants identified specific near-term opportunities: expand MTSS/RTI implementation (with a focus on behavioral supports and secondary-level implementation), develop consistent program descriptions and eligibility/exit criteria across the continuum, rotate building-level parent meetings led by principals, and consider staffing models to ensure consistent access to related services and participation in IEP/CSE processes.