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Special-education costs rise; district proposes retirements and position inactivations to reduce staffing line
Summary
Student support services staff reported a roughly 5% increase in special-education spending driven by salaries and out-of-district tuition; the department proposes not replacing two retiring positions and inactivating five aide positions that were vacated midyear.
The director (Student Support Services staff member) presented an overview of the Student Support Services budget, saying special education is the largest component of the department and that total department requests for 2025–26 approach $18.3 million.
The presentation showed a year-to-year increase in special-education costs of about $869,821 (just over 5%), with salaries representing the largest portion of the rise. The director noted the district currently budgets for 75 aide positions but, due to midyear retirements and transfers, employs about 63 aides; the business office and the department agreed to present an official abolishment of five inactive aide positions on a future agenda to reflect those changes.
On out-of-district placements and reimbursements, the presenter said the district expects approximately $1.3 million in state aid and other reimbursements related to high-cost and Medicaid-eligible services; Medicaid-eligible services are estimated to reimburse roughly $200,000 next year. The director said tuition paid to other special-education schools is expected to rise modestly, and that those outlays drive increased state aid for high-cost students.
Planned reductions in the department include not replacing one retiring social worker (Kim Panera) and one retiring speech therapist (Kathy Casado); staff said the remaining team can absorb the work through scheduling changes. The presenter also proposed reducing one clerical position that has remained unfilled for about a year. The director said those changes total roughly $272,000 in proposed reductions.
The Board discussed the potential operational effect of aide reductions and the need to ensure caseloads remain manageable; the presenter said the current active aide headcount is lower than the budgeted amount, and that the proposed reductions are embedded in the budget numbers shown.
Staff also reviewed federal and Title grant funding: the director and business staff noted the district receives nearly $2 million in federal reimbursements across programs (Title I–IV and Child Nutrition), and they warned the Board that a significant reduction in those federal funds would create a material hole the district would likely cover temporarily from fund balance but would not be able to sustain without program reductions or other changes.
Finally, the presenter flagged that items tied to federal or state grant reimbursements can be volatile and that the Board should consider those risks during budget adoption.
