Pupil Personnel Services director outlines special‑education caseloads and budget needs

Jennifer Harrison, director of Pupil Personnel Services for the Middle Country Central School District, told the board the department is serving roughly 1,607 students classified with disabilities for the 2024–25 school year and that the figure does not include preschool students or students with 504 plans.

Harrison said about 261 preschoolers with disabilities are also served and that 51 Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings were pending at the time of her presentation. She told the board there are about 555 students with 504 plans. "Students classified within the district make up approximately 16% of the population," Harrison said.

The presentation listed the district's continuum of services — related services (speech, occupational and physical therapy), consultant teacher models, resource rooms, integrated co‑teaching (ICT), special classes, out‑of‑district placements and homebound or hospital instruction. Harrison said about 125 students attend out‑of‑district programs, including BOCES and other specialized providers.

Harrison described federal IDEA grants (commonly referred to as IDEA 611 and 619) that subsidize staff costs. She said the grant supports approximately $2.9 million in salaries and benefits and described line items funded by IDEA: roughly $69,000 for related services, about $306,000 for behavior and autism consultant services, $10,000 for outside evaluations and $62,000 for home instruction services. She said some positions supported by the grant — such as reading specialists, a team leader and several special‑education teachers — remain partially grant‑funded and that the district covers remaining benefit costs through the general budget.

Harrison reviewed payroll and support staffing: the district has about 79 teacher aides and 61 teaching assistants across elementary and secondary schools; some decreases in aide assignments reflect reduced individual needs or changing class ratios. She described recent program additions, including new praise classes and a 12:1:1 special class at Newfield High School the district added two years ago; the district plans additional sections next year and anticipates opening five kindergarten classes for 2025–26 based on pre‑K enrollment projections.

Harrison also described training and supports: registered behavior technician (RBT) training, CPI nonviolent crisis intervention training, PACE vocational labs and unified basketball and Best Buddies programs. She told the board her office is working with the business office and an outside vendor to resume and expand Medicaid claiming; staff reviewed hard files to collect parental consent and the district can submit claims up to 15 months retroactively. "Right now, we're at about $223,000," Harrison said of recovered Medicaid reimbursements, and she said she expects that amount to increase as the unit resumes processing claims.

Harrison closed by restating the PPS mission and noting the department continually monitors needs and adjusts staffing based on CSE and 504 recommendations. "Each student will continually identify personal goals and develop and implement plans for achieving those goals," she said.

Ending: Board members asked several follow‑up questions about preschool forecasting, federal‑grant reliance and homeless student counts; Harrison and other administrators said they would provide additional details and numbers at a future meeting or in follow‑up materials.