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Special education advocate calls for more staff as caseloads rise
Summary
The state's Office of the Advocate for Special Education told the committee it handles hundreds of requests and needs at least five staffers to meet statutory duties, citing 30,000+ students with IEPs and roughly 300 annual inquiries; the office currently has two full-time staff and a high intake load.
Kristen Moncharmani, special education advocate, and Tim Lenahan briefed the committee on the office's workload and staffing needs. Moncharmani said the office was created recently and has statutory duties to provide case management, data tracking and legislative consultation related to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Moncharmani told the committee the office receives 30 to 40 new requests for help each month and that staff triage roughly 300 inquiries annually. She said the office handles complex cases that have often "broken down" at the local level, including students…
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