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Board hears NewPath plan to keep more Simsbury students in‑district and reduce tuition outlays
Summary
Administrators described NewPath as an in‑district special‑education program designed to stabilize placements and reduce out‑of‑district tuition; budget proposals include staffing and transportation planning to support the initiative.
Administrators presented NewPath as a district-run, in‑district alternative that aims to return a small number of students from out‑of‑district placements and to stabilize tuition costs. Speaker 1 said NewPath has been in development since mid‑2024 and that the budget includes staff to grow the program and bring students back to Simsbury as appropriate.
“NewPath is one option … it will kind of be its own budget,” Speaker 1 said, adding that the planned budget assumes adding staff to support both returning in‑district students and tuition students. The presentation referenced Farmington Valley Transition Academy (FVTA) as a nearby collaborative model that has informed program design.
Board members asked about staffing models and supports. In response, staff said contracting behavior technicians will not reduce total paraeducator FTE but will provide more specialized non‑certified support. Speaker 1 explained, “It does not impact the total number of FTE paraeducators that we have in district. What it does do is allow us to look at a little bit more specification… it helps support kids with more specificity in the area of behavior.”
Discussion also covered transportation implications for NewPath: board members suggested the program eventually operate a small fleet of vans or a mini‑bus under the NewPath umbrella to reduce third‑party long runs. Staff said that is part of a longer-term plan but not in place for the next school year.
Staff reiterated that NewPath’s startup costs will be incorporated into the operating budget and partially offset with grant dollars where allowable; the district also has received a state special‑education seed grant that may support early program development but is limited to new direct services.
