District seeks more psychologists and special‑education staff as evaluations increase

Frank, who led the student support services presentation, said the district is operating with two school psychologists districtwide and has seen an increase in evaluations this year. He reported about 71 special‑education evaluations last year and estimated the district is moving toward nearly 100 this school year, creating delays and heavy workloads for staff.

"We have a lot of students in the district, and having two psychologists doing all of the assessments is very, very difficult," Frank said, listing recommended hires: an additional school psychologist at Memorial, special‑education teachers at middle and high schools, a district special‑education coordinator to manage IEP processes and part‑time speech‑language personnel at the high school to replace higher‑cost contracted services.

Frank and presenters said converting a contracted BCBA to a full‑time employee has already produced savings (presenters cited an estimated $40,000 annual net saving after insurance) and that hiring a part‑time SLP could save roughly $48,000 per year versus contracting. They also noted grants and IDEA funding offset some special‑education costs.

The district projected about 18.5 students in out‑of‑district placements for FY27 and said rising per‑student tuition, one‑to‑one staffing needs and van‑monitor charges are inflating those costs.

Committee members asked for more detail about whether new hires would eliminate contracting or only reduce it; Frank said additional hires would reduce but not eliminate contracted services for some functions and that the coordinator role would focus on compliance and team‑chair support.

Next steps: the committee will consider those position requests as part of the broader FY27 budget deliberations.