North Brookfield outlines new inclusive therapeutic program, cites high external placement costs
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Summary
The district presented a new inclusive therapeutic program to begin Jan. 2026, a special‑education procedural guide for an upcoming DESE review, and plans for a preferred‑provider behavioral health model; staff said an external placement costs at least $100,000 per year including transportation.
Town of North Brookfield special‑education leaders presented a comprehensive procedural guide, personnel updates and a proposed inclusive therapeutic program intended to expand in‑district supports and reduce costly external placements.
Mister Baldassarre, who led the special‑education update, described the procedural guide as a nearly 70‑page resource that consolidates existing district procedures in preparation for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) program monitoring review scheduled for the week of Jan. 13, 2026. He said the manual will be posted to the district website and used as an operational resource for staff and families.
Baldassarre also announced a staffing change: Caitlin Grunovich will take a leave of absence and Darcy Morin (from Winchendon Public Schools) is expected to begin in December to ensure continuity during audit preparations.
On programming, Baldassarre presented a draft inclusive therapeutic program slated to start in January 2026 designed to provide higher levels of emotional and behavioral therapeutic support inside the elementary school so students can remain in the district with same‑age peers. He framed the program as both an educational and financial investment and said the district often pays considerably more for placements outside the district: “The cost of 1 placement, for a child that is in this program is a minimum of a $100,000 per year, when we include transportation,” he said.
Baldassarre said district staff are negotiating a preferred‑provider model with Valley Human Services to provide behavioral health counseling and Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) services through the MassHealth system, and that a memorandum of understanding is being drafted with the goal of implementing it before 2026. Superintendent and other committee members described the approach as a way to add services without increasing the school operating budget.
The committee received the update; staff said the procedural guide and program draft are part of ongoing work and no formal vote was taken on program adoption at this meeting.