Special-education leaders told the USD 231 Board of Education on Monday that the district is in a stronger position than four years ago, citing improved staff retention, lower vacancy counts and new supports for students.

The presentation, delivered by the district’s special-education presenter (first recorded at SEG 862), highlighted a newly organized Launch program overseen by instructional coordinator Janice Olds. Olds manages a caseload of roughly 15 teachers, focusing on new and alternatively licensed staff. The department also publishes a monthly newsletter called the Edge, runs an annual resource fair and added three registered behavior technicians (RBTs) to supplement two behavior specialists.

Board members were presented data showing a certified-staff retention rate of about 82% for the 2024–25 school year after 22 certificated staff departed in that period. The presenter said paraprofessional retention was around 75% and that the December 1 count for special-education service minutes was approximately 1,113; the June 30 year-end count is not yet finalized but was anticipated to be about 1,503 according to the presenter.

A parent survey conducted in September informed next steps: the department will offer another round of parent open office hours on Feb. 6 (with plans to try different times to increase attendance), host a parent engagement activity in the fall and work to smooth student transitions (early childhood to kindergarten, elementary to middle and middle to high school). The presenter said transition planning and better communication between case managers and general-education staff were high priorities.

On staffing, the district reported its lowest vacancy level in five years and said it will continue targeted recruitment and professional development for paraprofessionals and teachers. Evaluations and counts for 2024–25 were reviewed (the presenter referenced 367 K–12 evaluations and 97 early childhood evaluations); the presenter noted that some students who met objectives no longer required special-education services.

The board did not take a formal action tied to the presentation but thanked the department and asked for follow-up information about parent engagement plans and the anticipated June 30 special-education count.