Fall River School Committee approves up to 6 teachers and 6 paraprofessionals for 2025-26 to address class-size and inclusion

The Fall River School Committee on June 2 approved adding up to six teachers and six paraprofessionals for the 2025-26 school year to address rising enrollment and changes in special-education placements.

Dr. Tracy Curley, superintendent of schools, told the committee the request grew out of a subcommittee review of special education, alternative education and early childhood programs and recent multilingual learner data. "We are looking at the potential need for up to 6, 6 new teaching positions and paraprofessionals to compliment in those classrooms," Curley said.

The staffing request would include as many as four general-education classroom teachers and two special-education teachers in substantially separate programs, Curley said. The superintendent linked the staffing to a district effort to place more students in the "least restrictive environment," saying "the least restrictive environment, per the regulation, is the general education setting." Curley said the regulation requires exhausting supports in general education before recommending substantially separate programs.

Members who spoke in favor said the hires are intended to relieve large class sizes and to respond to more students being mainstreamed from foundational or substantially separate settings. "I still maintain we have a crisis in class size across the district," said Mr. Agua, a school committee member.

The committee discussed recruitment and retention challenges for special-education staff. Mr. Lally, the district human resources director, said recent job fairs produced "good turnout at the job fairs that we've attended and that we held, so that was all encouraging," but added that hiring numbers had not yet changed dramatically. Curley and other speakers noted a shortage of licensed special-education teachers and referenced steps the district has taken, including supporting coursework toward licensure and offering incentives.

The committee earlier approved a $4,000 stipend for teachers in those settings; Curley said the stipend is tied to contract language and applies to licensed special-education teachers. During the meeting members raised additional short-term recruitment ideas: one member proposed a $750 bonus for teachers in substantially separate classrooms and the superintendent said the administration will provide cost scenarios and options at the next meeting.

A roll call following discussion recorded affirmative votes from committee members present and the motion passed. The committee did not specify the individual mover and seconder on the record.

Committee members asked the administration to return with a detailed cost analysis of recruitment bonuses and with numbers on how many substantially separate classroom positions remain open. One member said the district has "at least a dozen" substantially separate teaching positions without a certified teacher, a figure discussed by members as an estimate to be verified by staff.

The approvals allow the district to post the positions so hires can be made before the 2025-26 school year; the superintendent noted that some of the positions already are posted.