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La Grange SD 102 proposes in‑district 'Pathways' program for students with emotional disabilities, projects staff hires and savings
Summary
District staff presented a staffing plan that includes a new small, in‑district special‑education program called Pathways for students with emotional disabilities, an expanded newcomer program at Forest Road, international teacher recruitment and projected salary savings tied to retirements and reduced tuition outplacements.
La Grange School District 102 presented a staffing plan that includes creating a small, in‑district special‑education program called Pathways, hiring new social‑emotional staff and expanding services for English‑learners and math intervention.
District staff said the Pathways program would begin with six students distributed across early elementary grades and be housed in a classroom currently leased to a cooperative special‑education provider. "We wanna start small, 6 students," the staff member presenting the plan said, describing a staffing model that would place three adults in the room and add related administrative support.
The district told the board the in‑district option is intended to reduce costly outplacement tuition and keep students connected to their home schools. The presenter gave a rough cost comparison: outplacing a student to a program like LADSI runs about $35,000 per year, while some therapeutic day schools can cost $50,000–$100,000 annually. The district estimated $290,000 in tuition savings from moving six students into Pathways and about $257,000 in salary savings from replacing retirees at lower salary steps, totaling roughly $547,566 to reinvest in staff; the presenter said the net projected salary savings available today are about $100,000.
Why it matters: board members asked several questions about the mix of services, maximum size and how Pathways would affect staffing. The presenter said the room could grow to about eight students before the staffing model would need to change and that the program is intended both to serve students long term and to provide short‑term supports so some children can return to general education.
Details, recruitment and other staffing moves - The district plans to post for certified and ESP (educational support personnel) positions earlier than in prior years and attend multiple job fairs; it is piloting international recruitment through an Illinois Board of Education visiting‑teacher program for bilingual needs. - The district flagged current vacancies including an EL teacher and a psychologist at Martinsdale, a bilingual math interventionist at Congress Park, a full Pathways team at Casa/Cosset, and an LRC director replacement due to retirement. - Forest Road has seen a surge of newcomers (the presenter said 15–16 currently) and the administration proposed a dedicated newcomer program with a morning/afternoon EL teacher to provide targeted language instruction while keeping students integrated into homerooms. - The district plans to add math interventionists so each building has dedicated support rather than split staff, and to add an assistant principal post at Casa/Cosset.
Board context and next steps Board Member Miss Mandrell and others pressed for enrollment caps and staffing ratios; the presenter said the initial model would include a special‑education teacher, a social worker and paraprofessional coverage and that the district will "evaluate its success or its challenges and then, see where we want to be a year from now." The presenter also said the district will use some of the savings from retirements and reduced outplacement tuition to fund the new positions.
If approved, the district will hire the Pathways staff and place the program in the classroom currently used by the cooperative provider. No formal board action on Pathways was taken at this meeting; staffing was presented for board information and planning.
