Madison schools present midterm update on three‑year special education plan

Madison Metropolitan School District leaders presented a year‑two update on the district’s three‑year special education plan at the Instruction Work Group meeting, reporting progress on inclusion and post‑school outcomes while flagging persistent staffing and funding gaps.

The presentation, led by Superintendent Dr. Catherine Gothard and assistant superintendent Cindy Green and delivered primarily by Associate Superintendent Nancy Molfenten, reviewed districtwide services, site practices at Marquette and Olson elementaries, and transition programs including Campus Connect at Madison College. Gothard said the state provides far less funding than needed for specialized services, telling the work group that “the state of Wisconsin is underfunded specialized services in our state by $1,800,000,000.”

District staff said roughly 4,100 students districtwide have an individualized education program (IEP). Nancy Molfenten said 83 percent of students with an IEP spend 80 percent or more of the school day in general education settings—above the state average of 76 percent—and that Madison’s graduates with IEPs report higher college participation (37 percent) than the state average (26 percent). The district reports that Campus Connect, an inclusive postsecondary program run in partnership with Madison College, currently enrolls 44 students and can serve up to 45.

School teams described site‑level strategies to reduce referrals and increase inclusion. Marquette Elementary Principal Becky Petersen and program support teacher Emily Durst outlined a Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process that uses proactive screening, weekly MTSS meetings, and a Google form to route teacher concerns; Durst said about 30 percent of SSI/MTSS meetings historically led to a special education evaluation but that figure has fallen to less than 1 percent so far this year, a change the team attributed to stronger universal instruction and targeted interventions. Olson Elementary Principal Christine Barone described building‑level planning that prioritizes specially designed instruction minutes, coordinated SCA schedules, and summer planning to reduce disruption at the start of the school year.

The board asked for more disaggregated metrics and deeper review of middle school trends. Board member questions focused on (1) how the district measures disproportionality, (2) whether accommodations were applied during statewide tests referenced in proficiency charts, (3) the need for more social‑emotional interventions and staff, and (4) how program capacity (for example Campus Connect) has changed over time. Molfenten explained that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) uses risk‑ratio snapshots (third‑Friday counts) to identify significant disproportionality; the district is tracking both DPI’s exclusion metrics and its own inclusion goal (percentage of IEP students in general education 80%+ of the day).

District staff listed several actions taken this year: launching an anti‑racist pre‑evaluation process, adding a mentor for provisionally licensed special education teachers, convening monthly professional learning communities for program support teachers, psychologists and social workers, and piloting strategies at select schools for later scaling. Staff also said occupational and physical therapy allocations are based on IEP minutes at each site, and noted that therapists carry evaluation responsibilities as well as direct service caseloads.

Board members and principals emphasized staffing and space as ongoing constraints. Principals said retention of experienced special education staff, sufficient SCA (special classroom assistant) hours, and access to consistent student‑services personnel (psychologists, social workers, PBS coaches) are critical to keep students supported in general education. Several principals also said buildings with recent enrollment surges have faced short‑term space and staffing pressures; district staff said IDEA and reserve funds are sometimes used to add SEAs or other supports when a school receives students with immediate complex needs.

The district will provide supplemental data to the board in the coming weeks, including middle‑school specific metrics and disaggregated disproportionality measures. Staff said a deeper review of middle school outcomes is scheduled for May.