Weare School District faces rising special-education costs, board imposes temporary budget freeze

Weare School District leaders told the school board on Sept. 16 that special-education caseloads and high-cost services have grown since spring, creating an immediate budget pressure that the district is addressing with a temporary purchasing freeze and consideration of reserve funding.

District business administrator Chris Roy and Superintendent Jackie Coe described a rapid increase in students identified with developmentally delayed and other high-need disabilities. The presenters said the district had 24 students in that category in 2021–22 and 40 at the start of the 2025–26 school year, creating new needs for one-on-one paraprofessionals, skilled behavior technicians and, in some cases, out-of-district placements.

Those additional service needs, the administration said, are driving roughly $200,000 of unbudgeted special-education expenditures this fall. The board placed a limited purchasing freeze on nonessential items while administrators review options to cover the shortfall without compromising direct services. The freeze was described as “soft” for a short time at the start of school to allow critical student-level requests to be filled, then tightened as the district compiled figures.

Why it matters: Special-education costs are a significant and often unpredictable part of district budgets. State and federal reimbursements, categorical grants and local reserve accounts are the primary tools districts use to manage spikes; the Weare administration told the board they are pursuing every available avenue but warned that timing and program eligibility make short-term coverage difficult.

What the board was told - Growth in preschool- and kindergarten-age developmental delays and social-emotional needs is translating into higher-cost supports as those students enter elementary grades, where fewer embedded supports exist per classroom. - The district is also seeing increased documentation and referrals that drive evaluation, related services and, for a minority of students, specialized placements. - The administration said Medicaid billing and special-education aid remain important revenue sources but do not immediately provide additional appropriation the board can spend in-year; many aid streams are reconciled after the fiscal year or are restricted in how they may be used.

Short-term steps and options discussed - Continue the purchasing freeze while inventorying outstanding requests and prioritizing classroom-critical supplies. - Interview and hire paraprofessionals and specialized staff where feasible; some temporary assignments were approved so classrooms would have coverage while searches continue. - Consider bringing a warrant article to voters to fund the district’s special-education trust (a reserve) so the board can access funds for catastrophic or unanticipated special-education costs. - Maximize Medicaid and federal reimbursement processes where allowable and continue efforts to improve billing capture; the administration reported that more rigorous documentation over the last six months has increased recoveries.

Board direction and next steps Board members asked for monthly lists of items the freeze prevents so the public and board can see what was deferred and why. The administration agreed to return with more detailed cost projections based on Oct. 1 enrollment and special-education counts, and to bring a proposal about using the special-education trust to a future meeting and potential warrant.

Context District leaders said a portion of the change is pandemic-era cohorts with uneven early childhood experiences (students born in 2020) whose developmental needs are becoming more apparent in early elementary grades. The administration also described workforce patterns, competitive hiring and the broader decline in some federal COVID-era funds (ESSER) that previously provided budget flexibility.

Ending Superintendent Coe and the business office told the board they do not yet expect to recommend program reductions; the immediate focus is short-term reallocation, targeted hiring and voter-authorized reserve strategies to stabilize finances while the district completes October enrollment and special-education eligibility counts.