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Board members press for special‑education administrative help as caseloads rise
Summary
At the March 25 meeting the board reviewed special‑education counts and debated restoring an assistant director or executive director post, citing growing caseloads and administrative workload; staff and trustees said the district must weigh multi‑year funding sustainability before adding permanent positions.
Board members at the March 25 Connetquot Central School District meeting pressed for additional administrative support for the special‑education department after hearing staff and trustees describe a rising volume of students receiving services.
Board member Ms. Palitano Furnell outlined numbers presented to the board: 981 special‑education students in district programs, 99 in out‑of‑district programs, 431 students with Section 504 accommodations and 157 preschool students receiving special‑education services, for a total figure cited at the meeting of 1,668 students (figures presented by board staff during discussion). She urged restoring a prior assistant‑director role or creating an executive‑director position to reduce workload on the single current director.
Nut graf: The debate matters because board members said administrative capacity affects the district’s ability to manage Individualized Education Program (IEP) processes, section 504 accommodations, committee on special education (CSE) meetings and compliance. Supporters of adding a position said the director is shouldering responsibilities of multiple prior positions; budget‑minded trustees said any new post must be sustainable over multiple years.
Board members described the department as carrying a large caseload while operating with fewer administrators than in prior years; the meeting record shows the assistant‑director role was abolished through the budget process after the previous holder left. "I think we are really at a crossroads here... we only have the one director," Ms. Palitano Furnell said, and she pushed for the board to consider creating an assistant director or executive director post.
Others on the dais urged a data‑driven review prior to creating permanent positions. Superintendent Dr. Sinemore said the district must consider multi‑year sustainability and avoid adding a position one year that cannot be funded the next if state aid fluctuates. Board members also debated placement questions: some argued the district should avoid sending students out of district because those placements often cost more and disrupt families, while others said placement decisions are made by the legally constituted Committee on Special Education (CSE) and reflect individualized determinations.
Ending: The board directed staff to compile historical enrollment and staffing data and to return with options, emphasizing both the need to support special‑education staff and the budgeting constraints that affect multi‑year positions.
