Board reviews special education overview: 555 students with IEPs (18.7%); district reports 83% in general-education settings

Tim, the district special education presenter, gave the board a school-by-school breakdown of students with individualized education programs on Oct. 27 and described placement settings, disability categories, center-based programs and a community transition program.

Tim said the district’s estimated total enrollment is about 2,964 students and that 555 were enrolled with IEPs, which he reported as 18.7% of district enrollment. He provided school-level counts and percentages: Canyon City High School 212 (about 12% of that school’s enrollment); Harrison K–8 99 (about 20%); Canyon City Middle School 57 (about 15%); Canyon Exploratory School 37 (about 13%); Mountain View Core Knowledge 21 (about 9%); Lincoln 60 (about 23%); McKinley (PK–5) 67 (about 27%); Washington Elementary 58 (about 19%). Tim noted figures change frequently because of enrollment churn.

Placement and least-restrictive-environment (LRE) data were highlighted. Tim said 83% of students with IEPs receive services 80% or more of the school day in general-education settings, 11% are in 40%–79% LRE settings and 6% are in less-than-40% LRE settings (typically resource or center-based placements).

Tim reviewed disability-category counts the district uses for state reporting: 22 students identified with intellectual disability (ID), 37 with serious emotional disability (SED), 37 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 3 with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a larger number in specific learning disability (SLD) and speech-language impairment (SLI) categories. He explained that multiple disability (MD) requires an ID qualification and that developmental delay (DD) is used primarily for preschool-age identifications.

The district continues to operate two center-based programs at multiple sites: a significant-supports program (for many students with ID, MD, or lower-functioning autism) located at Lincoln, Canyon City Middle School and Canyon City High School; and a serious-emotional-disability program at McKinley, Harrison K–8 and at the high school (through care classes). Tim described Greater Heights, the district’s community-based transition program for young adults after age 18, located at 402 Main. He said current enrollment in Greater Heights has been between 7 and 12 students; the program could serve up to 20 with current resources.

Tim summarized three years of trend data: the in-count of students with IEPs has been relatively unchanged while the percentage of total enrollment with IEPs has increased (from 16.5% to 18.7%), reflecting both slight rises in in-count and declines in overall enrollment. He said LRE percentages are within a percent or two of Colorado averages and noted that federal funding covers about 8% of special-education costs and the state covers about 50%, leaving roughly 40%–45% of costs to be covered locally (general fund), which the presenter said the board has supported.

Tim also presented results of the state parent-engagement survey. The state randomly selected 50 families for the district’s survey; the district obtained responses from all 50 (100% participation) and Tim said 94% of respondents reported feeling engaged in their child’s special education process. For comparison Tim gave the statewide survey response rate (about 42%) and statewide engagement figure (81.2%). He identified the three highest-scoring survey items (communication options, invitation to speak up, and general satisfaction) and three lower-scoring items (opportunities to strengthen parents’ special-education knowledge, asking parents their opinion on how well services meet needs, and sharing strategies that families can use at home), and said staff review those lower-scoring items with school teams.

Board members asked questions about exit-from-services tracking and data reporting; Tim said the state requires exit tracking and that he and staff maintain those records and can provide details. He invited additional questions and thanked the board for continued support of special-education programs.

No formal board action was taken; the presentation was informational.