Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lancaster ISD special education update: staff levels, services and preliminary performance gains reported
Summary
Special education director reported Lancaster ISD is serving 894 students with disabilities, has expanded staff to 49 specialists and 50 teachers, and displayed preliminary STAR and RDA indicators showing gains across grade levels; SPED graduation rate was reported at 89 percent with 10 percent in 18+ program.
Miss Cromer, the district special education presenter, gave an update on staffing, services and assessment results for the 2025–26 school year.
"We are supporting 894 students with disabilities right now," Cromer said, and described a staffing complement of roughly 49 administrative and instructional support staff (40 full-time, 9 contract), 50 special-education teachers, 6 dyslexia teachers and about 60 paraprofessionals.
She reviewed the continuum of services — inclusive general education placements, special education classrooms, dyslexia intervention, behavior supports, vocational programs, life-skills and transition opportunities for students 18–21. Cromer noted the district partners with the Texas Workforce Commission and an employer partner, Laveau Services, for preemployment instruction and described an expected student-operated "Tiger Coffee Shop Cart" opening in January.
Cromer shared preliminary, unmasked RDA and STAR assessment data indicating increased passing rates in most grades and subjects compared with 2024; she stressed the data had not been finalized for public release. The SPED graduation rate cited in the presentation was 89 percent for 2025; Cromer explained the 10 percent not counted as diplomas are students who remain in the 18-plus program (which can affect state-reported graduation calculations).
Trustees asked for additional breakdown of new enrollments and transfers; Cromer said the district identified more than 100 newly identified students since the last presentation and that the district has increased staffing accordingly. No formal action was taken.
