Special education director says department meeting compliance standards but needs staff and space as enrollments rise

Marlene Holton, director of special education for Cumberland County Schools, told the board on Jan. 25 that the department is meeting compliance requirements and has seen several accomplishments but is confronting staffing and facility constraints as the number and needs of students with disabilities increase.

Holton said the department serves about 963 students with disabilities and employs about 65 certified and non-certified staff. She described the district—s compliance processes, saying auditors found only a small number of minor paperwork issues when the state reviewed a sample of files.

Successes Holton cited included filling all certified positions, implementing inclusive preschool placements (3- and 4-year-olds) and a functional transition academy and work-based learning partnerships that help students obtain employment. She said the department has not had state complaints, due process hearings or OCR complaints over the last three years.

Holton warned that contracted therapy costs (speech, occupational, physical therapy, and school psychologists) are high, projecting roughly $300,000 in contracted services for the year. She also said specialized transportation is required for many students who must attend CDC (special day) classrooms in different locations across the county, increasing ride times and complicating routes.

On space, Holton said rural geography means the district cannot place CDC classrooms at every school; current arrangements require some students to travel to centralized CDC classrooms. Holton asked the board to consider classroom availability and staffing in future planning, and to recognize the intense workload and turnover in the department, particularly for non-certified positions.