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Board approves additional ESE and ESOL staffing units after student eligibility increases
Summary
Bay District School Board approved additional instructional units for Cedar Grove, Parker, and Dean Bozeman to address increased ESE and ESOL needs; board discussion noted the cumulative budget impact of add-on units.
The Bay District School Board approved additional staffing units for special education (ESE), pre-K ESE, ESOL intervention, and a behavior-education (BE) classroom at specific campuses after district staff reported increased eligibilities.
District staff said Cedar Grove Elementary gained an additional unit based on updated ESE eligibilities and IEP counts; Parker is recommended to get an additional ESE pre-K teacher given recent evaluations; and Dean Bozeman is to receive a BE classroom supported by current IEPs. The ESOL intervention teacher request was discussed in the context of shifting campus-level counts and thresholds.
Board members asked for budget context. One board member noted the district had added roughly 70 add-on units since the school year began and estimated the staffing impact could approach $5 million if all were funded from the general fund; staff clarified many of the new units are funded through federal IDEA, ESOL and other targeted sources and that a large percentage of ESE funding is used for personnel costs. District staff estimated about 75–80% of ESE budget dollars go toward salaries and benefits for service providers.
The motion to add the specified units passed unanimously. Staff said positions would be posted and funded according to the source noted in the board packet (IDEA, ESOL grants, or district allocations) and that hiring would proceed once the units were approved.
