Special education enrollment, autism rising in Chambersburg; district cites staffing and fiscal pressures

Chambersburg Area School District officials told the school board on Feb. 25 that special education enrollment has increased over the last decade and that services and contracted placements are driving large cost increases.

Director of Special Education Sherry Sullivan and 9–12 special education supervisor Dr. Emily Goodine presented enrollment and outcomes data, department staffing, cost drivers and internal-audit findings. “As far back as 2013–14, we were at 11.3 percent; moving up to 2023–24 our population grew to 16.4 percent,” Sullivan said. “Under the autism category, we rose to 17 percent in 2023–24, compared with 13.9 percent statewide.”

Sullivan and administrators said the district projects autism could reach about 20 percent of special education classifications by 2028 under the planned reconfiguration of grades and buildings. The department reported a districtwide special education population of about 1,550 students uploaded for the Dec. 1 count; that number includes roughly 80 students at the Franklin Learning Center, about 50 in the district’s virtual academy and about 50 in outside treatment placements.

Staffing and services: The department said it has 89 teacher positions (four currently vacant), about 229 support staff (including paraeducators and personal care assistants), and 34 related-service providers. The district listed 13 speech-language pathologists with three vacancies; because of workforce shortages the district is contracting speech services and expects contract spending of about $400,000 for those services.

Sullivan described regulatory limits that affect costs. “If they're in a self-contained autistic support classroom, that classroom can only have eight students,” she said. She added that those classrooms typically require one teacher and two aides; Widman said an example self-contained autism classroom costs in the neighborhood of $250,000 when staffing and supports are included.

Audits and funding options: Sullivan summarized an internal audit of special education operations that commended the district’s pre-referral process, caseload management and homebound procedures but recommended expanded medical-access billing and other revenue steps. District administrators said internal audit work suggests the district could pursue an additional $350,000 to $500,000 in medical-access reimbursements if it refines billing processes.

Proposed administrative changes and next steps: District leaders said the department needs three changes the audit suggested could be largely cost-neutral if additional billing revenue materializes: a supervisor of program services to oversee related-service caseloads and paraeducator oversight, and a dedicated financial secretary to manage billing and Act 16 reporting. The superintendent said that the supervisor positions planned for the district’s grade reconfiguration could accommodate the new supervisory role.

Student outcomes: Dr. Goodine said the district focuses on growth measures for special education students. In comparisons with nine similar districts, Chambersburg ranked first for special education growth in elementary ELA and science (grades 4–8) and ranked second in math growth. At the high school level the district faces more challenges on Keystone exams; Goodine said growth and proficiency patterns in secondary assessments are a focus of ongoing ATSI monitoring and local remediation planning.

Board members asked about causes for the autism rise; Sullivan cited greater awareness, broadened identification and earlier identification rather than a single identifiable cause. Sullivan and Widman said district leaders will explore the audit recommendations further and will include any staffing or budget proposals in the coming budget cycle.