Comal ISD adds special-education positions after enrollment climb

The Comal ISD Board approved additional special-education staffing for the 2025-26 school year, citing a rise in the districts special-education population and the need to meet eligibility and accommodation requirements.

Presentation and rationale: Dr. Davis presented a staffing request, telling trustees that special-education personnel completed eligibility work this spring and that increases in the special-education population created the need for more teachers and support staff. "Due to the increase in our special education population, additional teaching and support staff are necessary to meet the needs," Dr. Davis said in presenting the request.

Data cited: Special-education staff present at the meeting said the district had experienced an annual growth of "almost 900 to a thousand children annually" across programs and noted that Texas has seen a 67% increase in the population of children identified with disabilities since 2015. The administration said the requested positions were already built into the 2025-26 budget presented later in the meeting.

Board action: Trustee Amanda Jones moved to approve the special-education staffing additions; the motion carried 6-0. Administration said the additions and their costs were included in the budgets that the board adopted later in the meeting.

Next steps: administration said it will provide additional longitudinal data on special-education growth to trustees as requested and will monitor ratios and program assignments to align staffing with student needs.