Warrick County special-education director reports staffing levels and early wins with new IEP system
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Summary
Director Tish Wagner told the board the district serves roughly 1,995 K–12 special-education students (December 1 count), listed staffing and related-service resources, and reported teacher feedback that the new state IEP system is becoming easier to use.
Tish Wagner, the district’s director of special education, told the Warrick County School Corporation board the department currently supports about 1,995 K–12 students on the December 1 count and outlined staffing and service resources the district is using to meet those students’ needs.
Wagner listed certified staff numbers: 41 elementary special-education teachers, 21 middle-school teachers and 25 high-school teachers, plus 7.5 preschool positions (AM/PM). The district has three itinerant teachers (including one who consults with nonpublic and home-school students), specialized teachers for deaf/hard-of-hearing and blind/low-vision students, 19 full-time and three part-time speech therapists, and eight school psychologists. Related services include four behavior consultants, two social-emotional behavior assistants, two occupational therapists with two certified OT assistants, and one physical therapist with an assistant who manages assistive technology.
On counts and funding, Wagner said specialized-classroom totals include autism/behavior support, emotional-disabilities programming and functional academic/life-skills classes; the district’s K–12 special-education total is based on the state’s Dec. 1 count, which determines funding. She said preschool students are funded at a flat rate and that speech services generate $551 per eligible student, as presented in her slides.
Wagner described steps to ease the district’s transition to the state’s new IEP/504 system: the district delayed an immediate full cutover to allow additional training and gave staff extra time to adapt. She reported early feedback from teacher groups: 71% of respondents rated their comfort with the new system a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale; 51% said they were spending less time writing IEPs than when the conversion began, while 26% said their time had returned to or improved relative to the old system.
Wagner said the district has been asked to share practices with other systems and has scheduled visits and presentations, including at ICASE, a conference for special-education directors. She emphasized the district’s interest in supporting other schools and continuing to refine practices.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the funding sources (federal Part B funds and state allocations) and the district’s proportionate-share responsibilities to nonpublic schools. Superintendent and staff responses clarified that funding mechanics follow state rules and that the district retains responsibility to spend proportionate-share funds for nonpublic students.
