Westminster committee reviews special-education staffing, hears high preschool cost

The Westminster School Committee on Jan. 28 reviewed proposed changes to the district’s special-education staffing and budget, including a net proposal of 2.4 new full-time-equivalent positions and a reminder that several roles are paid from annual grants rather than the town’s general fund.

Committee members discussed why the district’s inclusionary preschool carries a far higher per-pupil cost than K–12 classrooms and heard that most special-education related positions are tracked in the district’s Program 20 budget. "Around, I would say, 79 and 80 was the last number that we saw," a staff member said when asked about current preschool enrollment. That staff member added that the preschool model is roughly 51% general-education peers and 49% students with special needs and is run on half-day schedules for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Why it matters: committee members said the preschool’s high cost skews the district’s overall per-student average. The committee was told the district’s reported per-pupil cost for the preschool on the most recent report card is $41,239, a figure officials said reflects the intensive staffing and related services required by the program.

District staff described how grant sources and reimbursements offset part of those costs. "Karen in my office oversees the Medicaid reimbursement, and we do really, really well with that," a staff member said, noting recent increases in state reimbursement rates. Officials also described that changes in billing and vendor arrangements drove notable one-time jumps in contracted services: a longtime individual physical therapist retired and the district moved services to a subcontractor, Community Therapeutics, at higher market rates.

Discussion highlights - Staffing: The administration described a net increase of roughly 2.4 FTEs in the special-education budget draft. The proposal includes a new middle-school teacher to expand the continuum of services for students with more complex disabilities and the reinstatement of one high-school special-education teacher added in a previous year. Officials also proposed reducing one care professional for a net increase overall. - Grant-funded roles: Several positions (for example, the assistant director role) continue to be supported through IDEA Part B grant funds and related MTSS funding streams that the district applies for annually. Staff emphasized these grants are awarded yearly and may vary in amount; the administration said it revisits student needs and adjusts staffing in response. - Transition Academy and nursing: The committee heard that a floater nurse who provided coverage across programs, and who allowed medically complex students to participate more fully in community and employment experiences, was eliminated last year when a grant ended. Officials described the position as important and said they would like to see it restored if funding permits. - Out-of-district placements and transportation: Staff said out-of-district tuition and specialized transportation remain expensive even for small numbers of students. Officials said the district has reduced out-of-district placements over the past three to five years but described examples where therapeutic or highly specialized placements require full-time nursing or additional adult support, increasing costs. - Contract services and testing platforms: The district moved to a digital, subscription-based evaluation platform (Pearson) that staff said should yield administrative efficiencies over time, despite some immediate cost increases. Contract therapy costs rose after the retirement of a long-serving individual provider and a competitive bid placed services with a higher-cost vendor.

What the committee directed The discussion did not culminate in a formal vote to adopt the budget at this meeting. Committee members asked for continued detail and for the administration to present additional budget line breakdowns in upcoming sessions. Staff said they will continue to monitor grant awards (IDEA Part B and Title I) and Medicaid reimbursement and return with any recommended changes.

The committee is scheduled to receive further school-level budget presentations at the next regular meeting, where the high school, preschool, career-and-technical education and middle school budgets will be discussed.