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Hardin County School leaders report rise in special-education enrollment, outline staffing and curriculum plans
Summary
District special-education leaders told the Hardin County Board of Education they now serve 2,904 students in special education (up 61 from last year), manage a $3.7 million IDEA budget, and are pursuing skill banks, new data tools and expanded coaching amid persistent staffing shortages.
Special-education leadership told the Hardin County Board of Education that the district has 2,904 students identified for special education services as of the December 1 child count, an increase of 61 students from the prior year.
The director (unnamed in the transcript) described the department’s operations, including management of a $3,700,000 IDEA budget and coordination of related services such as vision, hearing, occupational and physical therapy. The department reported a $30,000 grant award from the WHAS Crusade for Children that will help replace small assistive items and support curricular needs beyond general funding.
Officials said the district has reduced the number of schools with TSI status for disability from 10 to 3 over recent years and is aiming for further reductions. The spokeswoman said the district’s largest enrollment growth is in autism and “other health impairment,” which includes ADHD, anxiety and epilepsy.
The presentation highlighted ongoing staffing challenges: two teachers for students with visual impairments are on staff and the district has kept a vacancy posted for about 18 months for an additional position. The department also contracts for orientation-and-mobility services and noted a national shortage of school psychologists; the district currently employs 11 school psychologists and said it continues to recruit.
Leaders described a shift in focus from compliance paperwork to instruction: they are developing ‘‘skill banks’’ that prioritize instructional goals for individualized education programs and are building data-collection probes to simplify progress monitoring for teachers. The director said the department has documented more than 1,100 coaching sessions this school year, with more than 65% focused on curriculum and student problem-solving.
The director said the department oversees a wide range of roles — from secretaries and consultants to occupational therapists and ASL interpreters — and emphasized the need for consistent coaching and presence in schools to support both special and general educators.
The presentation closed with an invitation for questions; principals and board members praised the work and noted the practical benefits of daily on-site support.
