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Special education director outlines district services, option-enrollment impacts and staffing gains
Summary
The district’s special education team told the board it serves roughly 687 students across preschool–K‑12, described service breakdowns by disability category, and said the district is fully staffed for the coming year after targeted hires in speech and related services.
Special education leaders briefed the board on enrollment, service arrays and staffing for the 2024–25 year and discussed option-enrollment and contract arrangements.
Current snapshot: the director reported 687 students who qualify for special education across the birth-to-21 population (October 1 and updated counts). Of those, 568 are district residents and 119 are option-enrolled students from other districts; the director said the option-enrollment counts can include students who opted in at kindergarten and later qualified for services.
Service mix and rules: the director reviewed disability categories used under Nebraska Rule 51 and IDEA, noted that specific learning disabilities (especially reading difficulties) and speech-language impairment are large categories and explained that Nebraska allows verification either through a discrepancy model or through MTSS (multi-tiered system) processes. She said Ralston historically used the discrepancy model because the district’s tier-1 instruction improvements are recent and verification via MTSS requires sustained, high-quality core instruction.
Preschool and contracted services: the district’s early childhood programming is largely housed at Bloomfield; the director said Ralston operates part- and full-time early childhood classrooms and contracts for vision services and some therapy through external providers (for example, ESU 3 and private therapy contractors). She also noted the district provides equitable services to nonpublic schools located inside district boundaries, e.g., students attending St. Gerald’s receive district-provided speech services.
Staffing and capacity: the director said the district has increased special education staffing the past three years and is “fully staffed to walk into next year,” reporting multiple recent hires including two speech-language pathologists after a period of shortages. She added the district contracts only for a limited set of specialized placements and uses metro-area partners when needed.
Board questions and policy context: board members asked whether federal funding uncertainty threatens special education services; staff said IDEA funding remains federally protected and the district is monitoring possible budget effects but has not seen proposals to withhold federal special-education funds. The director also said the district will report dyslexia-screening metrics and option-enrollment acceptance/denial data in required state reports.
