Dr. Brandon Means, the district's special education leader, told the board the district has made measurable gains toward inclusion but remains short of the state target for Least Restrictive Environment.

Means said Saint Mary's Area enrolls 1,833 students and serves 434 students with individualized education programs (IEPs), about 26% of the student population. "We currently are sitting at 57.57," Means said of the district's LRE rate, adding that the district had been at lower levels earlier and has seen roughly a 50% improvement at some grade levels since February.

To raise inclusion, Means described a package of operational changes: a large reevaluation of special education placements (particularly at the high school), a shift from pull‑out to co‑teaching models and inclusive study halls where regular and special education teachers co‑facilitate, new co‑planning periods for teachers, and targeted paraprofessional placements. "We took the teacher to the kids," Means said, describing the shift of special education supports into regular study hall settings.

Means credited professional development, including a Summer Institute and student testimony, with creating momentum for co‑teaching. He said caseload limits were reset (from averages above 30 to about 23–24 per special education teacher) and that the board approved adding an additional learning support teacher to address caseload pressures.

On behavior supports, Means said the district is seeing increased frequency and intensity of behavioral incidents. The district implemented CARO, a de‑escalation approach, to reduce physical interventions and contracted with IU 9 for a board‑certified behavior analyst (BCBA) to provide one day per week of specialized support. Means reported seven in‑district physical assists across three students as of Nov. 4 and said the district's goal was to reduce interventions sharply this year.

Means also described an administrative transition to the IEP Writer management system: "13,000 documents were transferred" from the prior DART system; staff have been trained and the district continues to refine records. He said the board recently approved hiring Dr. Scott McKim to complete medical authorizations needed to bill school‑based medical access for personal care services; six students are now receiving personal care that can be billed to the program.

Means closed by outlining next steps—continued data‑driven placements, expanded co‑teaching rubric walkthroughs with principals, and additional staff supports where needed—and acknowledged that time and staffing remain the department’s biggest challenges.

Next steps: Means said administration and building leaders will continue walkthroughs and professional development and monitor progress toward the state LRE target. The board will receive further updates as the district implements planned changes.