Special education leaders report early progress and staffing gaps; district launches monthly advisory work

Dr. Jakita Lahari, executive director of the Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative, presented the district's Quarter 1 update on Oct. 14, highlighting work on communication, collaboration, clarity of roles and staffing strategies as part of a 2025–2028 SPED action plan.

"Our SPED action plan includes four goals," Dr. Lahari said, listing improved communication and visibility, collaboration and culture, clarity and consistency of processes, and recruiting and retaining staff as the focus areas. She said her team completed 41 school visits this quarter and launched a SPED roundtable and an advisory group that includes parents and Board Member Yolanda Clark.

The presentation listed concrete changes: updated case‑manager and paraprofessional handbooks; 25 hours of professional development offered to staff; a new SPED instructional hub for resources; and partnerships with local higher‑education providers for paraprofessional–to‑teacher pipelines. Dr. Lahari said the district had "about 78–79%" staffing fill when including agency staff and that virtual case managers remain in use for case management.

Board members asked for measurable outcomes tied to recommendations from an earlier KU environmental scan and requested that Dr. Lahari return with specific metrics the board can track. Trustees also asked for clarity on how hiring and placement happen at the building level versus postings on the district website; Dr. Lahari said school‑level recruiting and recommendation have been restored while postings remain centralized on the district job portal.

The board thanked the SPED team for the Q1 work and asked for a follow‑up presentation with KU‑recommended metrics and the number of virtual case managers.