Student Services presents FY26 special-education and behavioral-health requests; district reports about 485 special-education students

Jess presented the Student Services FY26 priorities and budget requests to the Pembroke School Committee, detailing special-education, behavioral health and related staffing and program needs.

Jess said the district currently serves about 485 special-education students, roughly 20% of enrollment. The department has introduced a new IEP form this year and expanded preschool evaluation capacity. The presentation highlighted programs and supports including the 18–22 transition partnership with CVS training center in Boston, expanded unified sports to grades 5 and 6, the PACE vocational program that runs a school coffee operation, and use of Pocket Talk two-way communication devices for English-language learners.

Major FY26 requests in Student Services included creating an elementary-level social-emotional substantially separate special-education classroom to keep more students in-district and reduce out-of-district placements; a 0.3 full-time out-of-district coordinator to relieve secondary coordinator responsibilities; support for a full-time special-education teacher at the high school to support co-teaching in math and science; and a full-time coordinator of behavioral health/wellness/counseling to supervise and align mental-health staff K–12. Jess said some grant funds could supplement care-coordination work but the sustainability of those grants is uncertain.

Jess also requested one full-time board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) for the district plus three registered behavior technicians (RBTs) to provide tiered behavioral interventions: BCBAs to conduct functional behavioral assessments and design behavior plans, and RBTs to implement interventions in classrooms with a goal of reducing disruptive behaviors and building staff capacity. The district currently contracts about 17 hours per week of BCBA services through Pilgrim Area Collaborative.

Jess noted the large personnel component of the requests when a committee member asked about a presented figure (discussed as $207,500), and clarified much of that total is personnel costs rather than one-time start-up expenses. She described next steps as program design, review of substantially separate program entrance criteria and staffing models, and professional development for staff.

The committee discussed funding strategies, including seeking external grants and possible collaboration with nearby districts to scale programs. No formal vote occurred on these requests during the meeting.