Board hears special-education concerns as speech-therapy contract rises for compensatory services

The West Milford Board of Education discussed a larger-than-expected increase to a speech-therapy services contract and fielded concerns from parents and the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee about IEP goals, tracking and supports.

Assistant Superintendent Novak told the board the district increased a contract with Speech City because a prior in-house schedule became untenable early in the year and the district had to use an agency to cover speech therapy. He said the district was unable to find a replacement quickly, which created a backlog of required services that became compensatory. “When we located Speech City as the vendor, they began in, I believe, February,” Novak said, and the additional funds are intended to “make sure that by the end of the school year, there's no compensatory services that are required.”

Why it matters: compensatory services are required when students do not receive mandated special-education services on schedule; catching up affects staffing and the district’s contracts and budget.

Parent and CPAC concerns: during public comment and the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee report, parents and committee members urged better IEP goal-setting and tracking tools and highlighted the blue-envelope program for people with autism spectrum disorder. A CPAC representative described the blue envelope as a tool that “lets an officer know if they're verbal or nonverbal, and other information,” saying it could be lifesaving and is available through local law enforcement and school SROs.

IEP software discussion: a parent and CPAC attendees raised Goalbook (discussed during public comment) as an example of software that can standardize goals, allow objective tracking and help staff and families monitor progress. That topic was raised as a recommendation; the board did not take a procurement vote at the meeting.

What the board approved: speech-therapy contract adjustments were included in an education consent bundle (agenda items 12.2–12.11) that the board approved by roll call. Other special-education personnel and program items were handled in the personnel and operations bundles later in the meeting.

Next steps: district staff said they will continue to work with vendors and staff to eliminate compensatory services before the end of the school year, and CPAC said it will meet next on March 12. Parents asked for further follow-up on IEP supports and the district’s approach to goals and tracking.