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Cleveland City Schools reports rising special-education enrollment, staffing and budget pressures
Summary
District special-education enrollment in buildings is approaching 900 students, officials said, with an unexplained spike at Mayfield Elementary. Federal IDEA funds cover most special-education salaries, prompting the district to reassign two positions from federal to general-purpose funding to avoid shortfalls.
The Cleveland City Schools Board of Education heard a November snapshot of special-education enrollment, staffing and budget pressures during the board27s regular meeting.
Dr. Clay Stone, director of special populations, told the board the district is "approaching 900 students currently" in school buildings who receive special-education services and that the total served (including students outside district schools) is slightly higher.
The presentation showed continuing growth across several years and a notable, unexplained increase of 28 students at Mayfield Elementary this year. "We don't really know why," Stone said, characterizing the rise at Mayfield as an "anomaly" the district is monitoring. He said the district is assessing whether the increase reflects a durable trend or a one-year spike and that resource reallocation may be required if the numbers hold.
Stone described typical staffing ratios and noted that younger programs such as Discovery pre-K have intentionally lower student-to-adult ratios because of age-specific needs. When asked about target ratios, he said the district historically has aimed roughly between 10:1 and 13:1 depending on age and program.
On funding, Stone said about 90% of federal IDEA allocations have typically paid salaries for classified assistants and some certified staff. He reminded the board that the district moved two positions from federal IDEA funding to the general-purpose (local) budget earlier this year because federal allocations did not rise proportionately with local salary and benefits increases. "Those allocations from the federal government really aren't rising," Stone said, explaining the budget reclassification restored available funds for supplies and services.
Board members asked whether new housing or transfers explained Mayfield27s growth; Stone said staff have not yet pinpointed a cause. Trustees also asked about recruiting specialized staff such as speech-language pathologists and school psychologists; Stone said the district uses HR and national job boards and that certain positions remain hard to fill despite overall stronger staffing than many neighboring districts.
Stone outlined five-year priorities including recruiting and retaining specialized staff, improving postsecondary transition planning and strengthening pre-K-to-kindergarten transitions. He also noted rising numbers of students with complex needs across both regular and special education that will require sustained attention.
The presentation reviewed federal IDEA allocations and a local pre-K grant of $135,000, and Stone showed a chart comparing IDEA allocations to salary costs over recent years. He told trustees that as salary expenses grew, the gap between allocations and salary costs narrowed, prompting the earlier shift of positions to the general fund so federal dollars can cover nonpersonnel needs.
The board did not take formal action on program changes at the meeting; trustees asked staff to continue monitoring enrollment and staffing and to report back if the Mayfield trend persists.
