Special education leaders describe staffing, programming and a new 'grow your own' RBT plan

Saline Area Schools’ special education directors briefed the Board of Education on May 13 on programs, staffing needs and next steps for the coming year, reporting roughly 895 students receiving special education services and highlighting plans to bring certain contracted occupational therapy staff into district employment.

Presenters outlined the district’s array of programs — teacher consultants, resource-room instruction, life-skills programming, early-childhood special education and a young-adult program for students up to age 26. The presentation said Saline students represent 12 of the state’s 13 special education eligibility categories, with the largest cohorts identified as otherwise health impaired (238) and autism spectrum disorder (152).

Administrators described several district strengths: a robust peer-to-peer and inclusive activities program (Unified Sports), a nationally noted connecting program at the high school, and a special education advisory committee (SEAC) that is active in programming and family outreach. The board heard that the unified sports program recently participated in events hosted at Little Caesars Arena and worked with neighboring districts on track and basketball opportunities.

Staffing and budget context Special education leaders said staffing needs have increased with more students presenting complex medical and behavioral needs. The department reported approximately 232 staff supporting special education services, with paraprofessionals comprising one of the largest groups. Presenters said salary and benefits remain the largest expense; about 30% of special education costs are reimbursed through state funds and about 9% from federal funds, with the balance coming from local/intermediate sources and transfers.

New initiatives and training The department previewed a district "Grow Our Own" Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) program. The plan would fund summer training for about 10 current paraprofessionals and cover exam fees; the district intends to develop its own in-house training in future years to reduce external costs and potentially offer training to neighboring districts. The RBT pathway aims to expand behavioral support capacity, improve implementation of positive behavior support plans and reduce reliance on costly outside contractors.

Administrators also said the district has been working to convert six contracted occupational therapists to district employees, citing equity and integration benefits for students and staff. The department said it will continue to hire for multiple ancillary positions — speech-language pathologists, social workers, BCBAs (board-certified behavior analysts) and others — and identified staff turnover and finding time for professional coaching as ongoing challenges.

Data, compliance and next steps District leaders said they monitor seclusion and restraint data and hold monthly reviews with internal teams and an outside consultant; they reported that those figures have declined from earlier peaks and that teams regularly revise behavior plans. The department plans continued training around functional behavior assessments (FBAs), positive behavior support plans and other compliance and instructional priorities.

The board thanked the presenters for the report and asked for follow-up materials, including more detail on seclusion/restraint data and a parent survey option to gather family feedback on special education services.

Provenance: Special education annual update presented during the May 13 board meeting; presenters described staffing, eligibility counts, budget sources and the new RBT plan.