Sioux Falls district outlines special services expansion, behavior team growth
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Summary
District officials reported growth in special education enrollment and described a newly expanded behavior team and transition programs; board acknowledged the overview by voice vote.
Denise Kennedy, director of special services for Sioux Falls School District 49-5, told the school board the district’s special services department operates on a roughly $66,000,000 budget and employs more than 1,700 staff who support about 4,200 students eligible for special education services.
“The December 1 child count is what drives our special education state aid,” Kennedy said, summarizing the district’s funding basis and the recent upward trend in students receiving services. She said the district’s December 1 counts increased over the past four years after a small dip the year following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The presentation described a range of in-district programs for students from birth through age 21. The district operates 26 program locations, including early childhood sites at elementary schools, multiple RISE programs at elementary, middle and high schools (RISE stands for Reaching Independence Through Structured Environment), two strands of behavior programming (at Horace Mann and Axtell Park), and an 18–21 transition program called Community Campus split between Western Mall and Axtell Park.
Kennedy said the district is prioritizing educating students in-house when it is safe and appropriate; out-of-district placements remain an option for students who are medically fragile or present safety concerns. “Currently our out of district placements cost the district between $50,000 and $120,000 per student per year,” she said, adding that the district has reduced such placements in the last three years.
District leaders also detailed a newly expanded behavior team launched this school year. The three-tier model includes board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) at the top, behavioral specialists who work at building level, and behavior facilitators who implement plans directly with students. Kennedy said the district increased its BCBA staff from four to 10 and now employs 17 behavioral specialists; the number of behavior facilitators fluctuates with hiring and building needs.
“This team has only been into effect for half a year … but so far it’s looking really good,” Kennedy told the board, noting early reductions in behavioral referrals and ongoing data collection to evaluate effectiveness over a full school year.
Kennedy highlighted Community Campus transition work and partnerships with local businesses and agencies, including a Project SEARCH paid internship hosted by Sanford Medical Center that began Dec. 2. She said the district is exploring locating Community Campus in a single site to streamline services.
Board members thanked staff and commenters for the report and asked for additional summer data on behavior interventions. The board voted by voice to acknowledge the overview of the special services report.
