Midway ISD outlines special education growth, billing changes and data platform rollout

Lisa Cochran, director of special education for Midway ISD, told the school board Tuesday that the district has expanded programs and upgraded how it tracks services as special education caseloads and early-childhood evaluations increase.

“We have a year of growth, innovation, and community building,” Cochran said, summarizing the department’s progress and challenges. She described a switch to an “Empower” platform that consolidates special education, Section 504, RTI and gifted-and-talented records into a single hub so teachers and parents can receive up-to-date accommodation information overnight.

The update said Midway has about 1,485 special education students and 1,009 Section 504 students after dyslexia services were moved under the special education umbrella. Cochran told the board the district carried out more than 300 initial evaluations last year and must re-evaluate roughly one-third of its special-education population annually — about 495 reevaluations — and that each evaluation can require 10–12 staff hours.

Cochran and other staff described program expansions — including a growing early-childhood effort and a “Empower grama” 18-plus vocational partnership with Robinson ISD — and listed community partners providing internships and practicum placements such as Baylor University and Methodist Children’s Home.

The director warned of tighter billing rules for state-reimbursable medical services and said revenue from billable services has declined, reducing a funding stream the district previously relied on. “Bill for has become less,” Cochran said, listing services still billable (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech, school-based counseling) and noting stricter documentation and audit exposure.

Board members and staff connected the program update to the legislature. Finance staff said the House has proposed $1.7 billion in additional special education funding but the district does not yet know how any change would flow through the state formulas. Board members asked administrators to send targeted legislative alerts to special-education families so parents understand bills that may affect services and funding.

Cochran described staffing and professional-development priorities: six dyslexia teachers pursuing CALT certification, expansion of early identification and transition supports, and requests to grow district partnerships that produce clinicians and interns. She said the district met federal and state compliance indicators this year and reported strong performance on the indicators the district tracks.

The board thanked Cochran and asked follow-up questions about parent access to the new data system. Cochran said there is not yet an active parent portal, but the vendor is developing one; meanwhile, documents and meeting recordings can be routed electronically to families who consent.