Southington board approves grant-funded elementary diagnostic classroom at South End School

The Southington School District Board of Education voted to approve a grant-funded elementary diagnostic classroom at South End School intended to provide short-term, intensive evaluation and intervention for students with complex learning or behavioral needs.

Superintendent Mr. Madanci told the board the program will be staffed by a full-time special-education teacher, two applied behavior analysis therapists and a full-time school psychologist (the proposal contained a noted staffing-line typo listing 0.5 but the dollar amounts reflected a full-time psychologist). He said the placement is typically 4 to 6 weeks and is designed to support families, allow multidisciplinary evaluations on site, provide direct instruction and reduce the need for out-of-district placements.

The nut graf: The district said the classroom will be funded entirely by the state Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) grant, removing near-term budgetary risk, and that the model is intended to help the district identify appropriate long-term placements more quickly while providing intensive, in-district supports.

Administration described several drivers for the proposal: when elementary students require outside diagnostic placements the district must often purchase seats in other systems, and when a child with complex needs remains in a general classroom, the school’s staff may be repeatedly pulled away from other duties to respond to crises. The diagnostic classroom offers concentrated observation and intervention, the administration said, and can also provide targeted professional development to school staff.

Board members asked about capacity and sustainability. Administration estimated the room could serve roughly three to six students at a time, with variations depending on individual needs and lengths of stay. The superintendent emphasized that, because the program originates with SEED grant funding, the district may continue to fund the model with that grant in subsequent years rather than immediately shift costs into the operating budget.

Parent advocate Robin Boschman addressed the board during public comment, describing long delays before dyslexia and related learning needs were recognized for her children and giving a dollar figure for district spending on out-of-district services. "Between my two children, Southington spent over $211,000 fighting what could have been prevented by listening to a parent," she said, urging the board to acknowledge systemic delays.

The board approved the motion by voice vote. The motion language on the floor was: "Move that the Board approve the proposal to establish the elementary diagnostic classroom at South End School." No roll-call tally was recorded in the minutes; the board recorded the voice vote as "Aye" and the motion passed.

District materials say parents would have to agree to diagnostic placements through the PPT (planning and placement team) process. Administration said the classroom would be used for evaluations, short-term interventions and to build programming recommendations based on on-site data rather than to permanently house students.

The board did not discuss moving the program into other districts for fee revenue; members said their priority was meeting in-district student needs. Several board members credited district staff for developing the proposal and thanked Mrs. Aresco for leading the work outlined in the proposal.

Questions or requests for additional implementation detail were to be routed through the superintendent’s office, administration said.

Ending: The board approved the diagnostic-classroom proposal and will begin implementation under the terms of the SEED grant; district staff will return with operational details as the program launches.