Brentwood presents $123.4 million special services budget, cites staff shortages and rising out‑of‑district costs

Brentwood special services leaders presented the district’s proposed 2025–26 special services budget and staffing needs at the Board of Education’s informal budget workshop on March 11, outlining a projected $123,397,818 investment and a list of requested hires to address rising enrollment and service demand.

The presentation, delivered by Rhonda Young, covered compliance with federal disability law, rising numbers of classified students and initial evaluations, and a sharp increase in expected out‑of‑district costs, particularly for BOCES placements.

Young said the district is projecting a total special services investment of "$123,397,818. That is a 28.43% increase," and attributed most of the growth to a 92% projected increase in state‑approved private placements, a 45% increase in BOCES spending and a 32% increase in state‑supported schools.

Why it matters: The budget and staffing requests touch everyday services for students with disabilities — evaluation timelines, speech and language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and in‑district inclusion supports — and the district projects further increases in out‑of‑district placements that drive costs.

Key figures and staffing requests - Enrollment and services: Young said January 2025 enrollment was about 4,074 students districtwide (a 9.2% increase from the prior year), with 3,303 school‑age students in K–12 programs. She reported that 65% of classified students — about 2,131 students — are in special‑class placements. The district chaired about 5,688 CSE/CPSE meetings last year, an 8.5% increase from the prior year. - BOCES/private placement costs: For the 2023–24 year the district estimated BOCES costs of $43,473,445 for 363 students; for 2025–26 Young projected $63,179,653 for 456 students — 93 more students and roughly a 23% increase in BOCES enrollment. - Budget line items cited by Young: the district projects $2,488,094 in the 2030 special education administrators/clerical area (up 12.79%); $100,197,525 in one program area noted as driven by staff salaries, agencies, BOCES and private placements (up 34.97%); and a total projected investment across speech, health, psychology and social work budget areas described in the presentation. - Workforce requests: Young said the district needs additional staff to sustain compliance and services, including 10 additional speech pathologists (to keep up with demand), four additional occupational therapists, one administrator to oversee assistive technology and OT/PT coordination, three teachers on special assignment (TOSAs), three PPS staff (two social workers, one psychologist), five secondary and ten elementary special‑education teachers, ten combined speech teachers and four board‑certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). - Evaluations and timelines: The presentation noted an increase in initial evaluations from 259 in 2020–21 to 399 in 2023–24 (a 54% rise over three years). Bridget Nieves, department head of speech and hearing, said bilingual evaluators (seven currently on staff) take about 6 hours and 30 minutes per evaluation and recommended adding two bilingual evaluators and one monolingual evaluator to meet projected demand (about 409 evaluations next year).

Compliance and program initiatives Young framed the budget within federal requirements, noting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act as governing frameworks for services and reporting. She described district steps to expand inclusion: integrated co‑teaching, extended school year programs, early intervention classrooms, assistive technology expansion, and professional development in IEP writing and restorative practices.

Planned program additions highlighted for 2025–26 included expanding integrated co‑teaching, adding an American Sign Language course at the freshman campus (taught by a dual‑certified teacher), integrating speech and OT as push‑in services for K–1 classrooms, establishing behavior intervention rooms where feasible, and pursuing an after‑hours school‑based outpatient mental health clinic targeted at students with serious mental health needs.

Board response and next steps Board members and attendees praised the presentation; no formal budget vote occurred at this workshop. Young described the projected numbers as "subject to change," and the district noted that state reimbursement (high‑cost and private excess cost aid) affects net impact: for the 2023–24 year Young said reimbursement arrived in installments and covered roughly 36% of overall special‑services expenditures.

The presentation closes with requests for additional hires and administrative resources; district staff said recruitment and state reimbursement timing will affect final budget decisions ahead of the district’s formal adoption process.