La Porte ISD reports rising special-education enrollment, outlines staffing and placement challenges

La Porte Independent School District special-programs staff told the school board on Feb. 11 that special-education enrollment has climbed to 1,307 students, about 18.45% of the district, and described increased demand for out-of-district placements and new supports to keep students in district programs.

The special-programs presenter said the district “have 1,307 students right before I came over here for this meeting,” and that the department has added roughly 300 students over five years. The presenter described the student population as spread across 13 federally mandated eligibility categories, led by specific learning disabilities, speech needs and other health impairments, and cited program types including resource inclusion, speech services, SAIL for autism, Early Childhood Special Education and life-skills/FOCUS classes.

The presenter told trustees that La Porte has 59 special-education teachers and 104 paraprofessionals supporting the programs. Staff highlighted year-over-year gains in college, career and military readiness (CCMR) and industry-based certifications for students with disabilities: “last year, we had 33” graduates with industry credentials, up from four in earlier years, enabling more graduates to enter the workforce, the presenter said.

District staff described a significant rise in students whose behaviors require out-of-district placements, which the presenter said are “costly” and can require additional buses, drivers and aides; some students now attend programs in Katy and other areas. The presenter said the district has placed students at ABS West (Katy), Avondale House (near NRG) and Huntington Bayou (Baytown) and noted those placements are becoming harder to find and staff.

To reduce reliance on costly off-campus placements and to improve instruction continuity, staff proposed adopting TeachTown, a supplemental curriculum and data system for early childhood through adult transition programs. The presenter said TeachTown “follows the kiddos” so progress monitoring and individual goals transfer with students across teachers and campuses; staff said the system is more robust than past life-skills curriculum and will support Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) data collection.

Board and staff exchanged questions about classroom staffing and the nature of supports for students with severe behaviors. The presenter said La Porte has paired behavior specialists with school psychologists to provide continuity, review behavior data every nine weeks and adjust plans, but acknowledged the district “had to do that 11 times this year” — referring to placements made when student or staff safety required it. Trustees urged continued research into local placement models and on-campus options, while acknowledging staffing shortages affect the district’s ability to house more students locally.

Finance and funding challenges were discussed: the presenter said the district lost Medicaid-related revenue (a back-and-forth with the state/federal process) and estimated the shortfall at about $1 million. Trustees and staff agreed there is no single statutory threshold that triggers additional state staffing requirements, but the district has added teaching units as needed when administrators request them.

The presentation also listed community partnerships that help create adult outcomes — employers and agencies that host work experiences — and staff asked the board for help identifying more local restaurant and retail job sites. The presenter closed by asking for continued board support for staffing, supplemental curriculum adoption, and local placement strategies.

The board received the special-programs report; there was no final vote attached to the presentation.