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Rising special-education co-op costs push Godley ISD to study bringing services in-house but lack space
Summary
The district's payment to the Johnson County shared-services arrangement (JCSSA) rose about 20% this year; Godley ISD currently accounts for roughly half of the coop's enrollment and faces a trade-off between higher short-term cost to remain in the coop and capital/space constraints that complicate bringing services back in-house.
Godley ISD told trustees that payments to the Johnson County shared-service arrangement (JCSSA) rose about 20% in the past year, prompting analysis of whether special-education services should be provided in‑house rather than through the coop.
Spencer, a district staff member, said the district now represents "52, 504 percent" (as stated in the packet) of the coop's enrollment and that the JCSSA payment increased from roughly $2.1 million to over $2.5 million. "We're making up more than half of that coop right now," Spencer said.
Financial and facility trade-offs: Staff reported an initial estimate that it currently costs the district about $50,000 more to remain in the coop than to provide the services in-house on a base per‑estimation. However, trustees were told the district lacks sufficient in-district space to house those students because a proposed bond did not pass. The district noted that bringing services in-house would require adding classroom and specialized space, and staff agreed to run capacity and facility-planning estimates.
Next steps: Spencer said he received updated data May 1 and that staff will prepare cost and space estimates for trustees to consider; a board member asked staff to include potential space requirements in future facility planning so the district can assess whether a future bond could address capacity needs.
Ending: No decision was made at the workshop; staff will return with analyses on cost comparisons and space needs to inform future facility and budget planning.
