Worthington City presents multi‑year plan to address special education audit

Worthington City Board of Education staff on Jan. 27 updated the board on work done to implement recommendations from an external special education audit, outlining a multi‑year, data‑driven effort that the district intends to expand in coming years.

The presentation, delivered by Kim Marani, director of special education, summarized work that began in fall 2023 with consultants from New Solutions and a multi‑member guiding coalition that includes district administrators, principals, teachers, related‑service staff, and parent mentors. Marani said the audit’s goals were to improve workload management for special education staff, improve outcomes for students with disabilities, and do so cost effectively.

Those goals drove five work areas: secondary interventions, staff workload and efficiency, instructional coaching (focused on secondary grades), a preschool entry/exit evaluation pilot at Sutter Park, and a district leadership role to coordinate behavioral and mental‑health work. The district reported it has implemented the preschool evaluation pilot, hired a leader for behavioral and mental‑health initiatives, developed a workload‑tracking tool for staff and expects full implementation of that workload process in fall 2025, and is planning phased shifts in service delivery models beginning in the fall.

Marani said the district and New Solutions spent a year reviewing data and district services, then formed smaller coalition workgroups to speed progress. On secondary interventions, coalition members compared current practices across buildings, inventoried settings (for example, “learning centers” and “assist periods”), and are piloting models that add an intervention period with a content‑strong teacher in addition to the student’s general class. Marani cited a math learning‑center model already running at Worthington Kilbourne High School as an example the district will use to inform expansion.

On workload, Marani described a tool that aggregates all services students receive and lets teachers “claim” the specific services they actually provide during the day, including work for students who are not on a teacher’s legal caseload but who receive services because a teacher is the best provider. The district said the tool differentiates caseload (the number of students legally assigned) from workload (time and tasks required to serve those students) and that initial summaries from the tool “look really good.” The district plans a follow‑up analysis in February to identify pressure points and finalize the process.

Instructional coaching at the elementary level is already established; the audit recommended expanding coaching to middle and high school classrooms. Marani said expanding secondary coaching in a cost‑neutral way has been the most challenging area, and the coalition is exploring models such as repurposing existing FTEs, using strong content teachers to coach part‑time, or phased rollouts targeted at priority classrooms. The district intends to identify phased focus areas and a rollout plan in February.

Marani described the Sutter Park preschool pilot, where a new evaluation team (including two speech‑language pathologists, two occupational therapists and two school psychologists) is conducting informal screening and short‑term observation for early referrals to distinguish lack of exposure or time for growth from true disability. Preschool principal Dr. Wendland and Sutter Park staff are participating in the pilot; the district will review outcomes and data to guide future planning.

The district also said it has already filled the recommended leadership role for behavioral and mental‑health supports. Nathan Kellenberger has served in that position this school year and the district plans a fuller presentation from him to the board in April. Marani listed examples of his work, including Positive Parenting programming and PBIS efforts across buildings.

Board members asked for clarifications about tiered MTSS interventions, how workload differs from caseload in practice, whether parents had asked questions about changes, and how coaching would be delivered at the secondary level. Marani said communication occurs through building key communicators and Sutter Park family meetings; she said changes to where a student receives secondary intervention or who provides it would be communicated to families individually as plans roll forward.

Marani said next steps include a Feb. 5 meeting with New Solutions to finalize action plans, a deeper February analysis of the workload tool, and full implementation of the workload process in fall 2025. She emphasized the district’s intent to move deliberately, beginning “small in the fall” and expanding based on demonstrated success.

The board did not take formal action on the audit presentation itself at the Jan. 27 meeting; Marani took questions following the presentation and the board proceeded to other agenda items.

Marani’s presentation and subsequent discussion took roughly an hour of the meeting and included written quotes from coalition members displayed to the board; examples cited gratitude from coalition participants and the district’s partner organizations for the opportunity to collaborate on the reforms.