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Special Services outlines program placement plan and retention steps after listening sessions
Summary
District special services leaders described a program‑placement plan for 2025–26 aimed at one special program per campus, summarized staff listening sessions, and outlined training, certification support and retention measures for special‑education staff.
Lake Travis ISD special services leadership presented an update and a multi‑part plan to rebalance special‑education programs across campuses and address staff retention and professional development.
Assistant Director Siri Markert and Director Jennifer Freeman said the department completed staff listening sessions and a program‑mapping exercise that showed uneven program distribution across campuses. Freeman said the team’s preferred placement model for 2025–26 would generally place one distinct special program per elementary campus with two teachers to provide flexibility and more focused professional development.
Freeman described priority actions for 2025–26: a districtwide professional development calendar that targets administrators, general‑education teachers and paraprofessionals; an LTISD‑facilitated SPED certification support program (run in partnership with Leander) to ease local teacher recruitment; in‑house training for paraprofessionals; an inventory of campus resources and a plan to centralize materials; and expansion of behavior supports to more programs (including G3 and SDC).
On staffing, leaders said they have reduced reliance on contract workers and currently show “significant improvement” in filled positions but flagged assessment staff (psychologists and diagnosticians) as an area of vulnerability given a limited regional candidate pool. Freeman said the team is exploring stipends, recurring supplements and other recruitment incentives.
Freeman also noted TEA cyclical desk monitoring was underway and that the department would receive a report soon. The district touted multiple family engagement events, a Special Olympics medalist and a collaboration with seven Central Texas districts that drew about 550 families at a transition fair.
Ending: District leaders asked trustees for continued support as they implement the placement plan and staff retention measures; trustees asked follow‑up questions about sustainability, sibling transfers and whether the changes were driven by budget or program sustainability.
