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Special services report: Derby shows gains in parent satisfaction, outlines transition and compliance work
Summary
Derby Public Schools’ special services director reported updated procedures, an expanded MIS manual, transition planning and improved parent-satisfaction survey scores; staffing levels for paraprofessionals have improved since pay increases.
Director of Special Services Dr. Dawn Gresham told the Derby Board of Education on Feb. 24 her department has updated processes and training aimed at improving compliance, transitions and parent communication.
Gresham said the district updated its 504 manual, expanded the management information system (MIS) procedures from roughly 10–15 pages to about an 80-page manual to meet state reporting standards, and introduced a district advancement process to organize transitions between key grade bands. She said the district also reintroduced IEP file reviews to address compliance while providing staff professional development.
Gresham reported improvements on the parent satisfaction survey: items measuring environment, communication and supports “either stayed the same or moved up,” she said, and the department used survey results to identify attendance barriers. In parents’ rankings, before- and after-school care and transportation were the top two barriers identified; communication and safety followed. Gresham said the district reworded attendance questions to better identify barriers from parent perspectives.
On staffing, Gresham said certified special education positions remain fully staffed and the district has “on average less than six simultaneous paraprofessional openings.” At the time of her report she said four para openings existed (two at the high school, one at Oak Lawn, one at Park Hill). She credited recent base-pay increases for paraprofessionals with improving recruitment.
Gresham outlined training and parent engagement activities: six “just-in-time” trainings for staff this year, monthly newsletters, an active parent advisory council and planned transition field trips. She said monthly parent discussion sessions have had low attendance but the department continues outreach and will schedule additional events.
Board members praised the department’s work on transition planning and parent communication and asked follow-up questions about chronic absenteeism and supports for staff time spent on IEP paperwork. Gresham said administrators and building teams are reviewing individual medical and attendance cases to avoid inappropriate chronic-absence designations.
The board did not take formal action on the report; discussion will inform the district’s budget and program planning.
