Beacon City School District outlines special-education services, out-of-district placements and budget pressures

Assistant Superintendent Heather Chadwell Dennis presented the Beacon City School District Board of Education with a detailed overview of pupil services and the district’s special-education budget for the 2025–26 school year on March 24.

Chadwell Dennis told the board the district currently serves about 458 students with individualized education programs (IEPs) across six buildings, including 74 classified preschool students and 13 students with evaluations pending. "We are responsible for the education of 3 to 21 year olds," she said, and described current programing both inside the home buildings and in out-of-district placements.

The presentation described in-district inclusion gains: the proportion of students receiving special-education services in their home building has increased since 2019–20, with particularly large gains at JVF and at other elementary schools. Chadwell Dennis said the district now has 40 students in out-of-district placements (down from a budget projection of 43 last year) and that the district is projecting 46 to 48 out-of-district students in the 2025–26 budget.

Why it matters: out-of-district placements, residential maintenance costs and rising service needs are major drivers of special-education spending for the district. Chadwell Dennis told the board the proposed pupil-services budget is growing; the presentation cited a budget-to-budget increase of roughly $700,739.94 and highlighted several program and staffing cost pressures.

Key program and staffing details

- Contracted placements and partners: Chadwell Dennis listed the district’s out-of-district partners, including Resilience Academy (formerly Dutchess County BOCES alternative high school), Anderson Center for Autism, Green Chimneys, Devereux, Abilities First and several other regional special‑act and residential programs. She said six students in the district’s placements are residential.

- Staffing projections: the presentation showed projected staff needs for 2025–26, including a 0.5 full-time equivalent additional speech-language pathologist, a goal of two physical therapists (one currently contracted), 4.5 occupational therapists, six psychologists and eight social workers. Chadwell Dennis said the district anticipates adding one special-education teacher at the elementary level and reducing one at the high school through retirement-driven shifts.

- New and expanding services: the district plans to expand integrated co-teaching supports, continue G & R Inclusive Group consultations into seventh grade, and roll out an ASTRA clinic at Rombout (Rambaugh) Middle School to provide flexible hours and psychiatric connections. Chadwell Dennis said ASTRA will offer after-school appointments, weekend or holiday services and additional psychiatric referral capacity that the district has lacked.

Federal/state funding and reimbursements

Chadwell Dennis noted the district expects increased federal IDEA funding and higher Medicaid reimbursements. She identified IDEA Part 611 and Part 619 funds (referred to in the presentation as "$6.11 and $6.19 funds") that offset some salaries and said those funds are expected to total just under $900,000 next year. She reported Medicaid reimbursement projections that could approach $500,000 for the coming year, compared with just over $200,000 last year, driven by improved family communications, signed consents and a new consultant.

Maintenance costs and county billing

The presentation explained the district’s obligation for maintenance costs when students are placed in residential or out-of-state programs. Chadwell Dennis said the county currently bills the district and the district pays roughly 58% of those maintenance costs. She used the example of a high-cost placement to illustrate how maintenance and placement rates increase the district’s expenditures.

Parent engagement and program metrics

Chadwell Dennis reported increased parent participation in meetings despite fewer meetings overall: from 1,554 meetings and 1,995 parent participants in 2019–20 to 1,368 meetings and 2,232 parent participants in 2022–23. She attributed the change to a new "amendment no meeting" practice that allows minor plan adjustments without a full meeting when parents sign off in writing.

Questions from board members and district responses

Board members asked about the distribution of social workers and the causes of rising costs for preschool placements. Chadwell Dennis said the high variability in special-education enrollments makes year-to-year trends hard to predict. She noted one-time or short-term high-need placements can significantly affect costs and that some out-of-state placements have become more common because in-state capacity is limited.

Bottom line

Chadwell Dennis presented a pupil-services budget that anticipates modest staffing increases, expanded contracted services (including the ASTRA clinic), higher Medicaid and IDEA reimbursements and continued pressure from out-of-district placements and residential maintenance costs. She concluded by inviting questions from the board.

Ending

The presentation closed with board members asking for additional program details and timing; the board moved on to the district-wide budget update after the Q&A.