Board hears special-education growth plan and moves to add classrooms at Norris Elementary

The Norris School District Board of Trustees on Monday received a detailed update on special-education supports and plans to expand classrooms for students with extensive needs.

Brandy Rosander, the district's administrator of student support services, told trustees the district has seen students return from county programs and a notable increase in students enrolling with existing Individualized Education Programs. "This shift is primarily the result of students returning to the district from a county program," Rosander said, adding that "this school year, 17 students have returned to the district from county programs," and that the district identified roughly "80 students this school year" who enrolled with existing IEPs.

Rosander highlighted staff additions made to reduce caseloads and strengthen services, including a speech-language pathologist assigned to the Richardson Center and Bema Elementary, a second occupational therapist and an expanded role for the district's special-education TOSA to mentor teachers and lead IEP meetings. "These strategic additions are taking root, strengthening our programs," she said.

The presentation noted district-level supports and cross-agency coordination that helped identification and enrollment, and cited local operational wins such as improved transportation and immediate enrollment in extracurricular programs for McKinney-Vento students. Rosander also said the district will add a special-education coordinator to the administrative team and "will be opening a new building at Norris Elementary School to support our extensive support needs program." The new space is intended to expand capacity to serve students in-district rather than placing them in county programs.

Trustees commended staff for the report. Superintendent Cy Silver and board members praised the work and discussed the timing of preschool and extensive-support placements, with Rosander confirming the additional classrooms are being added because of growth rather than a programmatic shift.

The board did not take a separate vote on this informational item. The presentation was framed as part of the district's broader Local Control and Accountability Plan work and ongoing facilities projects.