Exceptional children officials report staffing needs, caseload and unique programs
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Summary
The district’s exceptional children department said it serves about 2,159 students (including pre‑K), employs roughly 345 staff in the department, and is short on school psychologists and other specialists; staff flagged EC vacancies and program demands as budget drivers.
Rockingham County Schools’ Exceptional Children (EC) department told the board Feb. 24 it serves approximately 2,159 students (including pre‑K) and employs about 345 personnel across EC roles, and leaders said staffing shortages — particularly school psychologists — are constraining services.
An EC speaker told the board the department offers a full continuum of services, including inclusion, separate settings, hospital/homebound services and a district day‑treatment program. The department said it currently employs six full‑time school psychologists and one part‑time contracted psychologist but would ideally like eight to ten full‑time psychologists to meet demand.
The EC presentation listed a wide range of specialized staff: EC teachers, ECTAs, outreach assistants, school psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, speech therapists, sign‑language interpreters, language facilitators and EC specialists. EC leaders said school psychologists, in particular, are in short supply statewide and recruitment is competitive.
The department also described its preschool program, homebound services, private and homeschool service plans, secondary transition work and the day‑treatment program — a comparatively rare in‑district service that district leaders said helps meet the needs of students with intensive needs.
Why it matters: EC services represent a significant district operational demand and drive budget and staffing priorities. The department said vacancies and a higher level of need are part of the reason the district is projecting EC shortfalls in the 2025‑26 budget discussion.
Next steps: EC leaders will continue recruitment and use interns where possible; the board thanked departing staff and discussed the need to prioritize EC vacancy recruitment and retention.